International Day for the Prevention of and Fight against All Forms of Transnational Organized Crime

  Human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants continue to dominate political debates and multilateral discourse as leaders search for new tools and strategies to address these crimes. In this context, targeted financial and mobility sanctions have recently emerged as a high-profile option for policymakers. In June 2025, the Group of Seven (G7) became the latest forum to endorse the use of sanctions to counter migrant smuggling and human trafficking. In a communiqué issued after their latest meeting in Kananaskis, Canada, G7 leaders stated: ‘ We will explore, consistent with our legal systems, the potential use of sanctions to target criminals involved in migrant smuggling and human trafficking operations from countries where those activities emanate.' This statement is in line with the growing interest in applying sanctions for this purpose. In January 2025, the UK announced its intention to create a sanctions regime specifically to target the smuggling of migrants, with o...

  Eastern Asian States Observatories on Lithuania's ICJ case against Belarus. Crossing the line: Will Lithuania’s ICJ case against Belarus set a precedent for state accountability in human smuggling?

  This publication explores the multifaceted risks associated with migrants transfers . Authored by Dr. Matt Herbert, the report presents a detailed analysis of how migrant expulsions could exacerbate instability in Libya and fuel smuggling and extortion networks . Libya remains an extremely fragile state, with two rival governments and widespread militia activity. Since the 2011 revolution, illicit markets have also flourished. Among the most developed and dangerous is that for human smuggling and trafficking, marked by the exploitation of migrants through extortion, forced labour, and predation. Both official and unofficial detention facilities are sites of chronic human rights violations , including torture, sexual violence, and ransom-driven extortion. Migrants deported from the US risk becoming entangled in this. Beyond humanitarian risks, the political implications of deportations would be severe. They would inflame tensions in the Tripolitania region, weakening the alr...