A Libyan accused of war crimes has been arrested in Germany, ICC says
Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri was allegedly one of the most senior officials at Miriga Prison in Tripoli where thousands of people were detained. He was arrested Wednesday based on a warrant issued by the court on July 10.
'He is suspected of having committed directly himself, ordered or overseen crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, torture, rape and sexual violence, allegedly committed in Libya from February 2015 to early 2020,' the ICC said in a statement.
El Hishri will remain in custody in Germany until legal proceedings to have him transported to The Hague are completed.
The court relies on other countries to execute its arrest warrants. It paid tribute to German authorities for detaining El Hishri.
'I thank the national authorities for their strong and consistent cooperation with the Court, including leading to this recent arrest," ICC Registrar Osvaldo Zavala Giler said in a statement.
The United Nations Security Council called on the ICC to open an investigation in Libya in 2011 amid violence that led to the toppling of Moammar Gadhafi and morphed into a crippling civil war. The court issued a warrant for the longtime Libyan strongman, but he was killed by rebels before he could be detained.
The court has arrest warrants out for eight other Libyan suspects, including one of Gadhafi's sons. Earlier this year, authorities in Libya accepted the court's jurisdiction over the country from 2011 through to the end of 2027.
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BreakingNews.ie
36 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Thailand and Cambodia trade accusations as deadly border clashes enter third day
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Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Dozens killed and tens of thousands flee as border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia escalates
At least 33 people have been killed and more than 168,000 forced to flee their homes as deadly clashes along the Thailand-Cambodia border enter a third day. On Saturday, Cambodian authorities reported 12 new deaths, bringing its toll to 13, while Thai officials said a soldier was killed, raising the number of deaths to 20 - mostly civilians. New flashpoints emerged on Saturday more than 100 km (60 miles) from other conflict points along the long-contested border. There were clashes in the early morning in the neighbouring Thai coastal province of Trat and Cambodia's Pursat Province, both sides said. International pressure is mounting on both sides to declare a ceasefire. At an emergency meeting in New York late on Friday, the UN Security Council unanimously called on both sides to show restraint and resolve the dispute peacefully, a council diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity said. Malaysia, which chairs the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes both parties, called for an end to hostilities and offered to mediate. Cambodia's defence ministry said Thailand had launched "a deliberate, unprovoked, and unlawful military attack" but Thailand's acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, said Bangkok had exercised the "utmost restraint and patience in the face of [Phnom Penh's] provocations and aggression". Cambodia's Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said on Saturday the clashes had forced 10,865 Cambodian families - 37,635 people - in three border provinces to evacuate, while Thai officials said more than 131,000 people had fled their border villages. Villages around Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province were largely deserted, as people loaded their belongings on homemade tractors or sheltered in makeshift underground bunkers, covering them with wood, tarpaulin and zinc sheets to shield themselves from shelling. Several hundred residents went to a remote Buddhist temple where plastic tents were set up under the trees. 2:53 There have been frequent flare-ups along the 500 mile (800 km) frontier the two nations share, and 20 people died in the last serious clashes in 2011. Tensions rose again in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a skirmish and escalated further when a land mine wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday. The situation grew into a full-blown diplomatic crisis as Bangkok closed the border and expelled the Cambodian ambassador. Both sides reinforced their troops on the border and clashes broke out the following day.
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Cambodia calls for ‘immediate ceasefire' as thousands flee their homes amid border clash with Thailand
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The Thai Health Ministry on Friday said more than 58,000 have fled from villages to temporary shelters in four affected border provinces, while Cambodian authorities said more than 23,000 people have evacuated from areas near the border. The latest flare-up in a long-running border dispute between the two countries has killed at least 19 people in Thailand – mostly civilians – while Cambodia said Saturday that 12 people more people have killed on its side, bringing its death toll to 13. Thailand's acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, said Friday that Cambodia may be guilty of war crimes due to the deaths of civilians and damage caused to a hospital. He said Thailand had exercised the 'utmost restraint and patience in the face of provocations and aggression' from Cambodia. Tensions over a disputed border area erupted into fighting after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday. Clashes break out across border areas The Thai military reported clashes early Friday in multiple areas along the border, including near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple claimed by both sides. Associated Press reporters near the border could hear sounds of artillery from early morning hours. The Thai Army said Cambodian forces had used heavy artillery and Russian-made BM-21 rocket launchers, prompting what Thai officials described as 'appropriate supporting fire' in return. Thailand said six of its soldiers and 13 civilians were killed while 29 soldiers and 30 civilians were wounded. Early Saturday, Cambodian Gen Maly Socheata, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, told reporters Saturday that seven more civilians and five soldiers have died from two days of fighting. It earlier reported one fatality — a man who was killed when the pagoda he was hiding in got hit by Thai rockets. The Cambodian Education Ministry claimed that on Friday two Thai rockets had hit a school compound in Oddar Meanchey but caused no injuries. It said all schools in the province have been closed. The Thai Army denied it targeted civilian sites in Cambodia, and accused Cambodia of using 'human shields' by positioning their weapons near residential areas. Thousands flee villages near the border As the fighting intensified, villagers on both sides have been caught in the crossfire, leading many to flee. Around 600 people took shelter at a gymnasium in a university in Surin, Thailand, about 80km (50 miles) from the border. Evacuees sat in groups, on mats and blankets, and queued for food and drinks. Seamstress Pornpan Sooksai was accompanied by four cats in two fabric carriers. She said she was doing laundry at her home near Ta Muen Thom temple when shelling began Thursday. 'I just heard, boom, boom. We already prepared the cages, clothes and everything, so we ran and carried our things to the car. I was frightened, scared,' she recalled. Rattana Meeying, another evacuee, said she had also lived through the 2011 clashes between the two countries but described this flare-up as worse. 'Children, old people, were hit out of the blue,' she said. 'I never imagined it would be this violent.' At the nearby Phanom Dong Rak hospital, periodic explosions could be heard Friday, and a military truck arrived with three injured Thai soldiers, including one who had both legs severed. Thursday's shelling shattered windows at one of the hospital's buildings and damaged its roof. In the neighbouring Sisaket province, more villagers took their belongings and left homes in a stream of cars, trucks and motorbikes after they received an evacuation order on Friday. Across the border in Cambodia, villages on the outskirts of Oddar Meanchey province were largely deserted. Homes stood locked, while chickens and dogs roamed outside. Some villagers earlier dug holes to create makeshift underground bunkers, covering them with wood, tarpaulin and zinc sheets to shield themselves from shelling. Families with children were seen packing their belongings on home-made tractors to evacuate, though a few men refused to leave. Veng Chin, 74, pleaded with both governments to negotiate a settlement 'so that I can return to my home and work on the farm'. Asean chair calls for calm The conflict marks a rare instance of armed confrontation between ASEAN member countries though Thailand has tangled with Cambodia before over the border and has had sporadic skirmishes with western neighbor Myanmar. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Friday that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to a ceasefire and to withdraw their troops from the border, but requested more time before implementing the action, according to a report by Malaysia's Bernama national news agency. Anwar said he had spoken to both Cambodian leader Hun Manet and Thailand's Phumtham and urged them to open space for 'peaceful dialogue and diplomatic resolution,' while offering to have Malaysia facilitate talks. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called for restraint and urged both countries to resolve disputes through dialogue, according to UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq. It's the latest flareup in longstanding border tensions The 800km (500mile) frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The last major flare-up in 2011 left 20 dead. The current tensions broke out in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics. Things got worse when a land mine wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday, leading Bangkok to close the border and expel the Cambodian ambassador. The next day, clashes broke out along the border.
