37 persons found guilty of human trafficking in Libya have been sentenced to prison after 11 migrants perished in the Mediterranean Sea.
Five members of the criminal group received life sentences; the remaining members received sentences ranging from one to fifteen years.
All had participated in organizing the rickety boat that was to transport the migrants to Italy.
According to rights organizations, many migrants there are subjected to appalling abuse by smuggling gangs and in state-run prison facilities.
Since the overthrow of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been engulfed in violence and anarchy.