Moustafa Mohammad Sharaf is a Syrian asylum seeker who used to live in Mrouj, in the Matn District of Mount Lebanon. On August 10, 2023, he boarded one of the two boats that set off from the northern coast of Lebanon in Akkar, attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea irregularly en route to Italy. The Lebanese army beached one of the boats, while the boat carrying Sharaf managed to cross international waters. The boat was carrying 110 migrants, including 37 children, 14 women and 59 men. According to the survivors, 37 of them were Lebanese and the rest Syrian.
On August 18, 2023 at 3 p.m., upon reaching Malta’s Search and Rescue (SAR) area, the migrants reported that a ship displaying a Libyan flag was pursuing them, and armed individuals were firing at their vessel, resulting in the injury of one person on board and the failure of one of the boat’s engines.
Members of Libyan militant group Tarek Bin Zeyad Brigade (TBZ) apprehended all 110 migrants and transferred them to Misrata, a city in northwestern Libya, before relocating them to Qanfouda (Benghazi) Detention Center, near the port. During their detention, the migrants were mandated to work on tasks such as transferring dirt and digging in the ground. Some reportedly had to work in an animal sanctuary.
While most detainees were released on August 25, 2023, more than 20 migrants remain in detention in the Qanfouda center, including Sharaf. He was last in contact with his family on September 3, 2023, telling them he was only wearing underwear and was not provided new clothes. In addition, he informed his family that the militia mistreated him when they learned that he was a Yazidi, and forcefully shaved his beard and hair. Since then, his family has not received any calls from him. It is unclear whether Sharaf is still detained in Qanfouda.
Since his arrest and detention by TBZ, the legal representative of his family in Lebanon has contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the office of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Beirut.
On September 6, 2023, MENA Rights Group requested the urgent intervention of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, calling on them to urge the Libyan authorities to clarify Sharaf’s fate and whereabouts.
On October 4, 2023, at night, TBZ released all detainees.