Libya Horror: Migrants Held for Ransom, Threatened with Organ Harvesting

More than 300 migrants heading to the United Kingdom last summer were reportedly kidnapped, tortured, and threatened with forced organ removal, according to a BBC investigation.

The victims, all young men from Iraqi Kurdistan, were captured in Libya by a militia group that allegedly demanded a ransom of $5,000 (£3,700) from each of their families. The captors reportedly warned that the migrants’ kidneys would be removed if the payments were not made quickly.
The BBC interviewed several former hostages who have since regained their freedom and reviewed photographic evidence suggesting that forced operations may have taken place.
Former captives described severe abuse and torture, saying they were held in overcrowded conditions, with nearly 180 people confined to a single cell.
At least one hostage reportedly died during captivity, while the exact number of those still being held remains unknown.
The migrants had initially expected the militia to transport them through Libya to the Mediterranean coast. However, reports indicate that a dispute arose over payments involving Iraqi Kurd people-smuggler Noah Aaron, who had arranged their journey.
Aaron is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence in France for separate offences involving money laundering and migrant smuggling.
The kidnappings came to light during a BBC investigation into another smuggler, Kardo Jaf, whose arrest was announced last month.
The two men are believed to have worked together previously. Both are from Ranya, a town in Iraqi Kurdistan identified in a Chatham House report as being significantly affected by active smuggling networks.
While investigating Jaf in Ranya in February, BBC journalists were approached by a local man who said his son had been among those taken hostage.
According to the man, Aaron’s smuggling network collected thousands of dollars from families with promises of transporting migrants to the UK through North Africa and across the Mediterranean into Europe.
Anthony Dunkerley, a United Nations adviser who has investigated human trafficking in Libya, said the country suffers from a major governance vacuum. He explained that rival militias control large areas and that smuggling operations often rely on their cooperation.
The BBC learned that during the summer of 2025, groups of migrants arriving in Libya from Iraqi Kurdistan were taken to a guarded compound where they were imprisoned.
The militia allegedly demanded $5,000 for each captive, claiming Aaron had failed to fulfil payments tied to an earlier arrangement. Families were reportedly told that if the money was not paid, the debt would be settled “with a kidney.”
Captors also sent photographs and videos of the hostages to their relatives. Some of the footage was said to be extremely disturbing. In one video, a young man was reportedly informed that he was being taken to a doctor to have his kidney removed.
The father who spoke to the BBC said he eventually paid the ransom and that his son was among 110 hostages flown back to Iraq in January on a government-organised flight. He also presented a photograph allegedly sent by his son while in captivity, showing a scar that the family feared was linked to forced organ removal.
After the interview, many other families reportedly came forward with similar photographs.
A UK-based medical consultant who examined one of the images told the BBC that the scar appeared consistent with surgical incisions commonly associated with kidney operations. However, the broadcaster noted that it had been unable to independently confirm whether organs had actually been removed.
Kidnapping for ransom has long been reported along migration routes through Libya. Dunkerley said criminal groups continue to exploit weak state control in parts of the country, making investigations and prosecutions particularly difficult.
Many of the hostages have now been released. While some families secured their freedom by paying ransom, Kurdish authorities suspect that others may have obtained release through the removal of internal organs.
The BBC also interviewed several returnees in Ranya.
One young man said he was tortured by having his leg burned and displayed visible scars as evidence.
A 16-year-old former hostage recounted being among 178 people confined in a tiny cell.
“We didn’t see the Sun for six months,” he said.
He added that conditions were so cramped that detainees slept sitting upright. All prisoners reportedly shared a single toilet, and anyone who spent too long using it was beaten.
Families told the BBC that hostages were given only one piece of bread per day and that additional payments were required even to obtain food.
Despite the dangers, irregular migration from Iraqi Kurdistan to Europe continues, according to Hemn Merany, a senior official at the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of the Interior.
Merany said authorities have encouraged returning hostages to speak publicly about their experiences in an effort to discourage others from embarking on similar journeys.
He recalled the case of a father whose son allegedly died in Libya after a suspected forced organ removal. During the funeral in Ranya, however, the grieving father discovered that two of his son’s cousins had recently departed for Europe.
“The very sad part of this business is we do not learn,” Merany said. (BBC)