Huge milestone' as Libyan militia commander accused of torture to appear at ICC

Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, a former militia commander, is scheduled to appear before the International Criminal Court for a hearing on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The allegations include murder, rape, enslavement, and torture in Libyan detention centres, particularly involving Mitiga prison in Tripoli. Judges will decide whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial. The case is the first resulting in a courtroom from the ICC’s Libya investigation after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and is described as a major milestone after more than 15 years. Hishri was arrested in Germany after seeking medical treatment for a family member. Survivors and campaigners view the hearing as a step toward justice, truth, reparation, and deterrence for refugees attempting to reach Europe.

"A former militia commander accused of overseeing murder, rape, enslavement and torture in Libyan detention centres will appear at the international criminal court on Tuesday for a hearing that campaigners say is a landmark step towards justice, truth, reparation and deterrence of abuses of refugees trying to reach Europe from Africa. The prosecution of Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity is the first to reach a courtroom resulting from the ICC's investigation into crimes in Libya after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011."

"Legal experts said the hearing, when judges will decide if there is sufficient evidence against Hishri for a trial, would be a huge milestone. It is a really important development, said Allison West, a senior legal adviser at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights. The is the first case in the [ICC's] Libya investigation that has been ongoing for more than 15 years. It's the first time we have got someone into custody."

"For survivors of abuse in Libya, the court hearing will be a moment that survivors and victims never thought would happen, said David Yambio, who was held in Mitiga prison between 2019 and 2020 and accuses Hishri of beating him. Now [Hishri] is in front of the court, it sends a strong message to perpetrators wherever they are that they will be brought to account and justice will be delivered, even if it takes a long time, Yambio said."

"Hishri was arrested in Germany last year when, it is thought, he sought medical treatment for a family member. A senior officer in the Special Deterrence Force, a powerful armed group that ran detention sites in western Libya, the 47-year-old is accused of imposing a brutal regime at the Mitiga prison in Tripoli between February 2014 and at least mid-2020. Such sites became infamous after Gaddafi's fall as they filled with refugees detained in Libya or intercepted by the Libyan coastguard, which has been supported by the EU and member states"

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