ICC Brings Libyan Prison Director Before Judges Over Torture and Killings
Edited By: Aya Selene
A former Libyan prison director appeared before the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday to face a series of grave charges, including war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to killings, torture, rape and widespread abuses against detainees.
Khaled Mohamed Ali Al-Haishri faces six counts of war crimes and six counts of crimes against humanity for acts allegedly committed between February 2015 and early 2020.
According to the ICC, there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that Al-Haishri personally killed a detainee at Mitiga Prison near Tripoli, which he controlled with an iron grip during those years.
The court further indicated that numerous detainees died under his responsibility due to torture, exposure to extreme cold, untreated wounds or severe malnutrition.
The arrest warrant details at least five cases of rape involving detainees—including one 15-year-old boy—committed either by guards or by other prisoners. Female detainees were also subjected to sexual violence.
Al-Haishri is accused of directly or indirectly participating in torture, cruel treatment, sexual assaults and killings inside the facility, making him the first suspect to appear before the ICC in connection with its long-running investigation into Libya, opened in 2011.
He was arrested in Germany earlier this year and transferred on Monday to an ICC detention facility. Judges will hold additional hearings to review evidence and determine whether the case proceeds to trial.
These developments unfold against the backdrop of Libya’s ongoing turmoil, marked by political division and insecurity more than a decade after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi.
