Germany sends a Libyan man suspected of war crimes to the ICC to face justice

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) – A Libyan man accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes in a Tripoli prison has been sent by Germany to the International Criminal Court to face justice.

ICC prosecutors allege Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri was a senior commander at the Mitiga prison, where they say he ordered or oversaw atrocities including murder, torture, rape and sexual violence between 2015 and 2020.

He was arrested by German authorities on July 16 on a sealed warrant issued by The Hague-based court and had been in custody in Germany before being surrendered Monday, the court said after he arrived at its detention center.

The ICC’s prosecution office in July called El Hishri’s arrest “an important development” in efforts to seek accountability for crimes in detention facilities in Libya. It said it was ready for his trial, which would be the first of a Libyan suspect at the court.

A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, where judges will confirm his identity and ensure he has been informed of the allegations against him and his rights. The court will then organize another hearing during which prosecutors summarize their evidence and a panel of judges decides if it is strong enough to merit putting El Hishri on trial. That process will likely take months.

The United Nations Security Council called on the ICC to open an investigation in Libya in 2011 against a backdrop of an uprising that ultimately toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi and morphed into a crippling civil war. The court issued a warrant for the Libyan strongman, but he was killed by rebels before he could be detained.

The court has arrest warrants out for nine other Libyan suspects, including one of Gadhafi’s sons. Earlier this year, authorities in Libya accepted the court’s jurisdiction over the country from 2011 through to the end of 2027.

Italy arrested but then released on a technicality one of the suspects, Ossama Anjiem, also known as Ossama al-Masri, in January, sparking outrage among human rights defenders. He was also accused of crimes at the Mitiga prison.