A Libyan prison boss got hauled before the ICC after Germany grabbed him on an arrest warrant. Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri ran the Mitiga facility near Tripoli and stands accused of a dozen counts split between war crimes and crimes against humanity for stuff that went down between early 2015 and 2020. Prosecutors say he personally tortured people, oversaw sexual violence against detainees, and tried to kill someone.
The court claims guards and other inmates raped five prisoners under his watch, one being a 15-year-old kid, and women got abused as well. His defense team already asked for an interim release, but the confirmation hearing got scheduled for next May.
This marks the first arrest in the ICC's Libya investigation that kicked off back in 2011. Human Rights Watch called it a big deal since armed groups have been getting away with serious abuses in detention centers for years. Another warrant for a different official at the same prison exists, but Italy let that guy bounce back to Libya on a technicality instead of handing him over.
The court claims guards and other inmates raped five prisoners under his watch, one being a 15-year-old kid, and women got abused as well. His defense team already asked for an interim release, but the confirmation hearing got scheduled for next May.
This marks the first arrest in the ICC's Libya investigation that kicked off back in 2011. Human Rights Watch called it a big deal since armed groups have been getting away with serious abuses in detention centers for years. Another warrant for a different official at the same prison exists, but Italy let that guy bounce back to Libya on a technicality instead of handing him over.
