ICC transfers Libyan Khaled al-Hishri from Germany to the Hague

The International Criminal Court (ICC) said that a suspect accused of committing war crimes in Libya has been transferred from Germany to The Hague and placed in the court’s custody, according to Reuters.

Khaled Mohammed Ali al-Hishri is suspected of having been a member of the Special Deterrence Force during the Libyan civil war. He is accused of serving as a senior official in a notorious prison where detainees were regularly tortured and sometimes sexually assaulted, according to Reuters.

In July, the ICC Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that Germany had arrested al-Hishri, a commander in the Special Deterrence Force who is internationally wanted. The office told MEMO at the time that his arrest was an important step in its efforts to ensure accountability in Libya, especially regarding crimes committed in detention centres.

The ICC said that investigations by the Prosecutor’s Office indicate that al-Hishri, as a senior figure in the Libyan Special Deterrence Force, bears criminal responsibility for multiple war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Libya, in or near Mitiga prison, from February 2015 until at least early 2020.