Libya will henceforth recognise the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for serious crimes committed on its territory since 2011, announced ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, who immediately called for the arrest of the former head of the Judicial Police.
The Government of National Unity, based in Tripoli, submitted an official declaration to the ICC accepting its jurisdiction over war crimes and crimes against humanity committed from 2011 up to the end of 2027.
“I welcome the courage, leadership, and decision of the Libyan authorities,” Khan stated.
Libya is not a member of the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC. However, the United Nations Security Council had referred the situation in Libya to the ICC after the unprecedented protests against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime began in February 2011. These protests were violently suppressed. In recent months, cooperation between the Court and Tripoli has improved significantly.
In this context, Karim Khan requested that Libya’s Attorney General Al-Siddiq Al-Sour arrest and hand over Osama Almasri Najim, against whom an arrest warrant has been issued for crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Najim was responsible for the Mitiga Prison in Tripoli and is wanted for murders, rapes, and torture committed against detainees after 15 February 2015, based on their religion, alleged “immoral behaviour,” or support for armed groups. Until a few days ago, he was the head of the Judicial Security Service, which was recently disbanded by the government of Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
“This is a very positive development,” commented Karim Khan.
