THE HAGUE(RAHNUMA): The International Criminal Court said Monday it had taken into custody a Libyan militia leader suspected of overseeing murder, torture, and rape at the notorious Mitiga prison near Tripoli.
The court said that Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, arrested in Germany in July, was now in the ICC detention center in The Hague to await his first appearance before judges.
El Hishri faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity during his alleged time as a senior official at the prison, where “thousands were detained for long periods,” the ICC said.
An initial appearance will be scheduled in due course for El Hishri, the court said in a statement.
According to Der Spiegel magazine, he was arrested at Berlin airport in July as he attempted to fly to Tunis.
He remained in German custody while legal proceedings were being completed.
Oil-rich Libya is still grappling with the aftermath of the armed conflict and political chaos that followed the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled long-time dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
The country remains divided between a United Nations-recognized government in the west and its eastern rival, backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.
