Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif. – right) has introduced a resolution that condemns the migrant slave auctions in Libya exposed in a recent CNN International report (above). The bill calls for the government in Libya to hold accountable human “smugglers, traffickers, detention center guards, and anyone else involved” [and] for the U.S. to “impose sanctions against Libya if the country fails to end slave auctions and other forms of forced labor,” according to reports:
The bill demands that Libya allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to regularly monitor and publicly report on the situation of all refugees and migrants in Libya, including those detained in official detention centers.
“Congress cannot sit idly by as news of the Libya slave trade spreads,” said Bass, the top Democrat on the House Subcommittee on Africa [and a board member of the National Endowment for Democracy, the Washington-based democracy assistance group]. “Slavery is a crime against humanity. This resolution calls for a comprehensive response, both domestically and internationally, to this report, which is what we’ll need going forward to take an effective stand against this tragedy.” RTWT
