A Libyan man accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity has appeared before judges at the International Criminal Court for the first time, facing grave allegations linked to abuses inside a Tripoli prison. Forty-seven-year-old Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri sat calmly in the courtroom, showing little emotion as charges of murder, rape, and torture were read out. He spoke only briefly to confirm who he was, later asking the judges to grant him release while the case continues.
Presiding Judge Iulia Motoc instructed his defense to submit a formal request for provisional release. El Hishri was flown to the Netherlands on Monday following his arrest in Germany last July, which came after an ICC warrant had been issued in secret. Prosecutors claim he was a senior figure at Mitiga prison in Tripoli from 2015 to 2020, where they say he ordered or supervised the torture and mistreatment of detainees.
He is facing six charges of crimes against humanity along with six counts of war crimes, including accusations that he personally killed one prisoner, and directed killings, sexual assaults, and torture of others held in custody. At this stage, he is not required to enter a plea.
Judges are expected to meet again on May 19 to decide whether there is enough evidence for a full trial. If confirmed, this would become the first Libyan case tried by the ICC since the UN authorized investigations in 2011. Meanwhile, the court still has open warrants for nine other Libyan suspects, one of them being a son of the late Moammar Gadhafi.
