Mazen Adam, a 15-year-old Sudanese refugee, has been released from a juvenile detention center near the capital Tripoli, his father, Mohamed Adam, told the Associated Press (AP) on Wednesday (February 1). The teenager was detained for five months after being kidnapped and tortured by gunmen demanding ransom.

"Mazen is well but he still suffers from torture-related injuries," Mohamed Adam said, adding that his son would be monitored by doctors from the UNHCR on February 12 in Tripoli. The family is registered with the UN refugee agency as Sudanese refugees in Libya.

According to the father, Libyan authorities have not dropped charges against Mazen, claiming the kidnapping was fabricated, and only released him pending investigation.

The father denies the allegations that the kidnapping was contrived.

"Police in Warshafana conspired with the kidnappers who tortured my son," he said, adding that the kidnappers have disappeared and that Libyan authorities did not pursue them.

What happened to Mazen?

Mazen was kidnapped on August 30, 2022 by unidentified gunmen in the western town of Warshafana, demanding ransom, AP reported. He then appeared in a video on social media, pleading for merci as a man beat him, pointing a riffle at him.

A day later, Mohamed Adam was taken by armed men in uniform after he spoke publicly about his son's kidnapping. The father was released three weeks later, according to AP.

How the boy transferred from the kidnappers to the juvenile detention center is unclear, but his father blamed the local police. A government spokesman did not answer AP's calls for comments on the case.

The National Commission for Human Rights in Libya maintains Mazen was a victim of human traffickers. The rights group have urged Libyan prosecutors to annul allegations against him.

Migrants in Libya at risk of detention and abuse

War-torn Libya has in recent years emerged as a major transit point for migrants from Africa and the Middle East trying to reach Europe.

In 2023 so far, at least 17 migrants were reported dead and 18 others missing off Libya as of January 21, according to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM). More than 1,100 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya this year, the IOM said.

Many human rights organizations have described Libya as unsafe for migrants as they are at risk of being locked into detention, abused and exploited.

With AP and Reuters