The International Criminal Court has been informed that a high-ranking officer at a Libyan prison committed acts of murder and sexual assault against inmates, including in front of their children, leading to him being dubbed the “Angel of Death.” The court in The Hague is conducting pretrial hearings for the first-ever suspect from Libya, who faces charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes at the infamous Mitiga prison in Tripoli between 2015 and 2020, following the death of former dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
Referred to as the “Angel of Death” by detainees at the prison, Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, a 47-year-old senior commander at the facility, was accused of overseeing the women’s section where sexual violence was rampant. Prosecutors stated that El Hishri was notorious for carrying a gun and shooting prisoners in the leg or knee, behaviors that were not isolated incidents by rogue guards at Mitiga prison.
The ongoing hearing is not a trial but serves as an opportunity for prosecutors to present their case. Judges will have 60 days to assess the evidence and determine if it warrants a trial for El Hishri. The suspect was transferred to the Netherlands in December from Germany, where he was arrested in July based on an ICC warrant.
If the case proceeds to trial, it will mark the first instance of a Libyan defendant facing trial at the international court. Following the 2011 UN Security Council mandate for investigations in Libya post-Gadhafi’s downfall, the court had initially issued a warrant for Gadhafi, who was killed by rebels before apprehension. Additionally, arrest warrants have been issued for nine other Libyan individuals, including one of Gadhafi’s sons.
Recent events involving the arrest and subsequent release of suspect Ossama Anjiem, also known as Ossama al-Masri, in Italy have sparked controversy. Anjiem, accused of crimes at the Mitiga prison, faced release due to a technicality, eliciting criticism from human rights advocates and opposition parties in Italy. Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi accused officials of hypocrisy for allowing Anjiem to return to Libya, questioning the government’s actions in such cases.