Rome, November 21st, 2011. EveryOne Group has received news of yet another group of Eritrean prisoners being held by a gang of smugglers in the Sinai. The information comes from the brother of one of the prisoners, who tells us that the criminals are asking for a $30 000 ransom to lead each of the refugees to the border between Egypt and Israel. To convince their families to pay up, the smugglers are subjecting the Eritreans to violence, torture, and - in the case of the girls - rape. 

 

We are talking about the terrible practice of smuggling Africans migrants.

EveryOne Group has provided the Egyptian authorities, the United Nations and the Council of Europe with two phone numbers of the kidnappers, an Israeli number and an Egyptian one.

 

"We put in a lot of effort and hard work when we investigate the trafficking of human beings in the Sinai, in an attempt to obtain the names, phone numbers, and locations of the traffickers' hideouts," say Roberto Malini, Matteo Pegoraro and Dario Picciau, co-presidents of the humanitarian organization.

 

"What is more, the relatives of the abducted refugees are taking great risks when they reveal information related to organized crime in Northern Sinai. That is why we expect the authorities to take rapid action to save these young people, whom the traffickers are denying their human rights, dignity, physical and mental integrity, and often life itself. The authorities should not hesitate or underestimate the individual cases, but act quickly, pursue the criminals and free the slaves. Only in this way can the North Sinai Governorate become a place of peace, democracy and civilty. At the present, unfortunately, the region is a true hell, a place in which human life is worthless, and murderers carry out activities characterized by brutality and horror. "