CAIRO: A member of a criminal group linked to a mass grave containing the bodies of 21 migrants will stand trial on a charge of human trafficking, Libya’s attorney general’s office said Friday.
The office said in a statement on Facebook that the gang member was being referred to court.
Authorities found evidence that the criminal gang organized illegal migration and trafficked people in Al-Kufra city in southeast Libya and Ajdabiya city in the eastern part of the country. The attorney general’s statement didn’t identify the gang.
Libya has been a main transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. The country plunged into chaos after a 2011 uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
It remains unclear how the 21 migrants died or when, or exactly when and where they were found. The attorney general’s office released images Friday showing bodies wrapped in black plastic bags, with some remains partially covered in dirt. The Associated Press could not immediately independently verify the images.
