SOS MEDITERRANEE / Stefano Belacchi
John*, 17 years old, from Eritrea, was rescued by the Ocean Viking on January 10, 2025. He was on board a double-decker wooden boat in distress in the Libyan Search and Rescue Region, along with 100 women, men, and children. The boat had departed from Sabratha, Libya.
On his first attempt to cross the Mediterranean, on March 25, 2023, John was on board a rubber boat in distress in the same region. As the Ocean Viking approached to assist the people in distress, a Libyan Coast Guard vessel violently intercepted the boat, firing warning shots over the Ocean Viking. This scene has been documented by our team and by the filmmaker Jean-Baptise Bonnet in his documentary Save our Souls.¹
John shared with our team the events of that day, providing a firsthand account that sheds light on human rights violations in Libya and the collusion the Libyan Coast Guards and detention centers, including the one he mentioned. His testimony aligns with findings documented in the UN report on Libya and investigative journalism.
SOS MEDITERRANEE / Jérémie Lusseau
SOS MEDITERRANEE / Jérémie Lusseau
I was on a rubber boat with women, men, and children, about 80 people in total. We saw the Ocean Viking coming toward us to rescue us, but the Libyan Coast Guard arrived and started shooting. The Ocean Viking left.
The Libyan Coast Guard took us onto their vessel and beat all of us.
I was thrown into a prison in Tripoli called Ain Zara, where I stayed for weeks before I could get out. My family had to pay $1,200 for my release. While in prison, I was tortured and beaten.
John shows the marks of torture on his body.
There are thousands of us there, Ain Zara has 5 compounds.
When I was set free, I kept working in Libya in construction to survive.
He shows pictures of his work in Libya on his phone.
After five attempts to escape Libya, the Ocean Viking finally rescued me.
Testimony collected by Lucille Guenier
¹ We published an in-depth video report on the incident and the violence and exploitation endured by people who are intercepted and illegally returned to Libya. Also see our Press Release and this France24 news report for further information and video recordings of the incident.
