A 13-year-old boy who has been living
at a facility for unaccompanied minors in Reggio Calabria since
2022 has told the Avvenire newspaper that he recognized Libyan
police commander Nijeem Osama Almasri as the man who abused and
hit migrants, including himself and other kids, at the notorious
detention facility of Mitiga near Tripoli.
"He is the man who hit people and gave orders to others, I was
also punched by his men", said the teen, who said he was
detained at Mitiga three years ago in an interview to the daily
paper published on Friday.
The boy is staying at the Papa Giovanni XXIII community for
unaccompanied foreign minors in the Calabrian city.
The teen said he recognized the official from pictures he saw on
a paper as one of the activities organized by the foster home
where he is staying is reading the newspapers.
He said that, while held at the detention facility where
thousands of migrants who try to reach Europe are imprisoned, he
met the head of the Libyan judicial police, wanted by the
International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes and
crimes against humanity committed since 2015, arrested in Turin
on January 19 and flown back to Libya on a State flight two days
later after being freed on a technicality.
"He was the boss", the teen told Avvenire.
"He decided the timing" of detention and "who, how and when we
had to be moved", he added, saying he still remembers "the names
of his men: Ayub, Ossama, Adabae, El Nemir".
The teen also recalled how he and another boy, a 14-year-old,
were hit but the violence ended because "the other migrants
rebelled".
"They got up to defend us because we were too young.
"So the traffickers started to shoot in the air with their
rifles until everyone calmed down", he said.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
