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A Libyan man charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes Tripoli Appeared before judges in jail International Criminal Court On Wednesday, he sat quietly as a court officer read out the charges, including murder, rape and torture.
Khalid Mohammed Ali Al Hishri, 47, spoke only to confirm his age and identity and later asked judges to release him as his case proceeded.
Presiding Judge Yulia Motok asked El Hishri’s lawyer to file a written request for provisional release with the court.
El Hishri was deported to the Netherlands on Monday GermanyWhere he was arrested in July on a sealed ICC warrant. Prosecutors allege he was a senior commander at Mitiga prison, where they say he ordered or supervised crimes between 2015 and 2020.
According to charges read out at a public hearing, he faces six counts of crimes against humanity and six counts of war crimes for alleged mistreatment of detainees in prison, including personally killing one person and supervising the killing, rape and torture of others. He was not required to enter pleas on the charges.
A hearing in which a judge will assess whether the evidence against El Hishri is strong enough for him to be prosecuted was scheduled for 19 May.
His case will be the first Libyan suspect to be heard at the international court, whose prosecutors were tasked by the UN Security Council in 2011 with launching an investigation into the North African nation as it descended into chaos following the uprising that ousted longtime dictator Moammar Gaddafi.
The court immediately issued a warrant for Gaddafi, but before he could be detained and deported, rebels killed him. the hague,
The court has issued arrest warrants for nine other Libyan suspects, including one of Gaddafi’s sons.
In January Italy arrested one of the suspects, Osama Anjem, also known as Osama al-Masri, but then released him on technical grounds, sparking outrage among human rights defenders. He was also accused of crimes in Mitiga prison.