Libya court jails 37 traffickers over migrant deaths

TRIPOLI: A Libyan court has sentenced to prison 37 people convicted of human trafficking over migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, authorities said on Monday.

The North African country is a key departure point for migrants, with many risking the perilous sea journey seeking a better life in Europe.

The appeals court in Al-Bayda, some 800-km east of the capital Tripoli, pronounced the verdict against a “criminal gang” whose members organised for migrants to travel on a “dilapidated boat, resulting in the death of 11 of them”, according to statement from the prosecution.

The prosecutor´s office, which did not specify the identities or nationalities of the convicted traffickers, said five of them were sentenced to life in jail and nine others to 15 years.