'Pay ransom or lose a kidney': Illegal migrants bound for UK kidnapped in Libya
Summary
Over 300 migrants from Iraqi Kurdistan heading to the UK were kidnapped in Libya by a militia demanding ransom payments. They faced torture and threats of forced kidney removal, with some hostages released and others still captive.Key Facts
- More than 300 migrants from Iraqi Kurdistan were kidnapped in Libya last summer.
- The kidnappers were a militia controlling part of Libya, a country with weak government control.
- The militia demanded $5,000 from each migrant’s family and threatened to remove kidneys if payment was not made.
- At least one hostage died, and many were kept in overcrowded cells of about 180 people.
- The migrants were being smuggled by Noah Aaron and Kardo Jaf, both from Iraqi Kurdistan; Aaron is in prison in France.
- Around 110 hostages were flown back to Iraqi Kurdistan in January after ransom payments.
- Photos showed scars consistent with kidney surgery, but organ removal has not been fully confirmed.
- Libya’s instability and rival militias allow criminal groups to kidnap migrants and demand ransoms.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.