A Libyan court sentences 3 people to prison terms over human trafficking

CAIRO (AP) — A court in the Libyan capital has sentenced three people to harsh prison terms on charges of human trafficking. It’s a first such ruling in a North African nation where migrants are routinely mistreated. The Criminal Court of Tripoli convicted the three of human trafficking, detaining, and torturing migrants, and extorting their families to pay ransom to release their relatives. According to Libya’s chief prosecutor, the court sentenced one of the convicted to life in prison, while the other two received a 20-year term each. Human traffickers have benefited from the instability in Libya and smuggled migrants through the country’s lengthy border with six nations. They then pack desperate people into ill-equipped rubber boats and other vessels in risky voyages to Europe.