Dutch court sentences Eritrean migrant smuggler to 20 years

"The court said he had treated migrants "without any humanity" as they were transported to Europe via Libya. "Your only aim was to earn as much money as possible from people who were looking for a better future," the presiding judge told Amanuel W."

"He was charged with various offenses including human smuggling, extortion, violence and money laundering, and sentenced to 20 years in prison, matching the maximum sentence requested by the prosecutors. Luigi Prosperi, an expert in international criminal law at the University of Utrecht, Netherlands, told DW that "this is the first time that a European country is prosecuting an individual suspected of being one of the leaders of a criminal organization running multiple detention camps in Libya.""

A man from Eritrea, Amanuel W., received a 20-year prison sentence after a Dutch court found he led a transnational migrant smuggling network that transported migrants through Libya. The court concluded migrants were treated "without any humanity" and that the defendant prioritized profit over migrants' welfare. Victims in the case are alleged to have been abused, tortured, raped and in some cases died in Libyan detention camps, while relatives in the Netherlands faced extortion. Charges included human smuggling, extortion, violence and money laundering. Legal experts say the case is unprecedented in Europe and raises questions about Dutch jurisdiction for crimes committed largely outside its territory.

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