A LIBYAN man suspected of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity has been arrested in Germany on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, commonly known as “Al-Buti”, is alleged to have been one of the most senior officials at the Mitiga Prison complex in the capital, Tripoli, where thousands of people were detained.
He is suspected of having committed, ordered or overseen crimes including murder, torture and rape.
The atrocities were allegedly committed in the detention unit near Tripoli in the five years from 2015. There is no record of him commenting on the allegations.
The ICC has issued 11 arrest warrants in connection with alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Libya since the ousting and killing of the country’s long-time leader, Muammar Gaddafi, which plunged Libya into civil war.
The situation was referred to the court by the United Nations Security Council in February 2011, at the start of the protests which led to Gaddafi’s ousting later that year, with the help of Nato forces.
In its referral, the Security Council condemned the “violence and use of force against civilians… the gross and systematic violation of human rights, including the repression of peaceful demonstrators”.
It also expressed “deep concern at the deaths of civilians”, while “rejecting unequivocally the incitement to hostility and violence against the civilian population made from the highest level of the Libyan government”, then under Gaddafi.
Since the overthrow of Gaddafi, after six decades in power, Libya has been split into areas controlled by various militias and is currently divided between two rival governments.
Mr Hishri was part of the Special Deterrence Force, also known as SDF/Rada, aligned to the interior ministry of the internationally recognised government based in Tripoli.
