Latest news with #SpecialDeterrenceForce
Libya Observer
19-05-2025
- Libya Observer
Libyan rights group urges closure of Mitiga Prison after inmate killed in shelling
A Libyan rights organisation has called for the immediate closure of Mitiga Prison in Tripoli following the death of a detainee during recent clashes in the capital. Libyan Crime Watch said Qurayrah al-Mazoughi, 65, died when a shell struck one of the prison's wards on 14 May. He had reportedly been held without charge for more than four years by the Special Deterrence Force, which controls the facility. At least four other detainees were injured, while the fate of hundreds remains unknown, the group said, citing a lack of transparency and basic safety measures. In a statement, the organisation expressed deep concern over ongoing arbitrary detentions and 'inhumane' conditions at the prison. It called for the immediate release of all detainees—especially those ordered freed by courts or held without due process. The group also urged the Attorney General to launch an urgent and independent investigation into al-Mazoughi's death and to hold those responsible accountable under international fair trial standards. Furthermore, it called on the International Criminal Court to continue probing alleged human rights violations in Libyan detention centres, which could constitute crimes under its jurisdiction. The organisation is urging prosecutors to investigate the role of Abdul Raouf Kara, head of the Special Deterrence Force, under the principle of command responsibility outlined in the Rome Statute. Mitiga Prison has long faced criticism for operating without judicial oversight and failing to meet international human rights standards.
The National
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Libya recognises authority of ICC to investigate war crimes on its territory
Libya has recognised the authority of the International Criminal Court to investigate alleged war crimes on its territory, even though it is not a party to the court's founding treaty, chief prosecutor Karim Khan said on Thursday. "I strongly welcome the courage, the leadership and the decision by the Libyan authorities" to accept the ICC's jurisdiction over possible war crimes and repression committed in the country, Mr Khan said. Speaking to the UN Security Council by video, the chief prosecutor told of progress in uncovering what he called "a black box of suffering on the Mediterranean coast", referring to detention centres where alleged crimes have taken place. He highlighted Libyan authorities' stated commitment to co-operate with the court and called for the handover of a suspect accused of grave crimes against detainees, including migrants and refugees. In particular, he told of "an unprecedented six months of dynamism", pointing to the arrest in January of Osama Elmasry Njeem, a commander in the disbanded Special Deterrence Force. Mr Njeem, who ran the Mitiga detention centre, is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and torture against migrants. He was briefly detained in Italy in January but was released two days later on "procedural grounds" and returned to Libya. 'There was real disappointment amongst victims that Mr Njeem has been returned to the scene of the alleged crimes,' said Mr Khan. He urged Libyan authorities to hand over Mr Njeem to the ICC so he can stand trial for the crimes that were listed in the warrant. Libya has been under ICC investigation since 2011, when the Security Council referred the case to the court amid the uprising that toppled long-time leader Muammar Qaddafi. The ICC opened its probe days later. In November 2023, Mr Khan said his office aimed to conclude investigative work in Libya by the end of 2025, after which no further arrest warrants would be sought. The ICC has issued warrants for 12 people linked to alleged crimes during Libya's 2011 revolution, the 2014-2020 conflict and abuses in detention centres, including against migrants. Three of those wanted have since died, while eight remain fugitives. The court dismissed the case against Mr Qaddafi's former intelligence chief, Abdullah Al Senussi, ruling it inadmissible. Libyan authorities have failed to arrest and transfer any ICC suspects since 2011, stalling efforts to deliver justice. The Security Council has not acted on the court's past requests to enforce co-operation from Libya. Mr Khan's briefing came after US President Donald Trump's February 6 executive order authorising sanctions against ICC officials, including the chief prosecutor. Washington's acting alternate representative to the UN, John Kelley, condemned the ICC as a "politicised" body, accusing it of bias against the US and Israel. "The ICC has engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel," Mr Kelley said, warning that Mr Trump's sanctions order would bring "tangible and significant consequences" for those involved in the court's decisions. The ICC in November approved arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes, including restricting aid and attacking citizens during Israel's Gaza offensive. Nine Security Council members – France, Britain, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia, all ICC signatories – opposed, stating that attacking the court or its personnel was "counterproductive to our shared goal of ensuring accountability for the most serious crimes".
Arab News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Libya fighting calms after truce announced
TRIPOLI: The worst fighting in Libya's capital for years calmed on Wednesday an hour after the government announced a ceasefire, Tripoli residents said, with no immediate statement from authorities on how many people had been killed. Clashes broke out late on Monday after the killing of a major militia leader. After calming on Tuesday morning, the fighting reignited overnight, with major battles rocking districts across the entire city. 'Regular forces, in coordination with the relevant security authorities, have begun taking the necessary measures to ensure calm, including the deployment of neutral units,' the government's defense ministry said. The ministry said the neutral units it was deploying around sensitive sites were from the police force, which does not carry heavy weapons. The United Nations Libya mission UNSMIL said it was 'deeply alarmed by the escalating violence in densely populated neighborhoods of Tripoli' and urgently called for a ceasefire. Monday's clashes had appeared to consolidate the power of Abdulhamid Al-Dbeibah, prime minister of the divided country's Government of National Unity (GNU) and an ally of Turkiye. However, any prolonged fighting within Tripoli risks drawing in factions from outside the capital, potentially leading to a wider escalation between Libya's many armed players after years of relative calm. The main fighting on Wednesday was between the Dbeibah-aligned 444 Brigade and the Special Deterrence Force (Rada), the last major armed Tripoli faction not currently in his camp, the English-language Libyan Observer reported. Fighting also erupted in western areas of Tripoli that have historically been a gateway for armed factions from Zawiya, a town to the west of the capital. WEEKS OF GROWING TENSIONS Tripoli residents trapped in their homes by the fighting voiced horror at the sudden eruption of violence, which had followed weeks of growing tensions among armed factions. 'It's terrorizing to witness all this intense fighting. I had my family in one room to avoid random shelling,' said a father of three in the Dahra area by phone. In the western suburb of Saraj, Mohanad Juma said fighting would pause for a few minutes before resuming. 'Each time it stops we feel relieved. But then we lose hope again,' he said. Libya has had little stability since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising ousted longtime autocrat Muammar Qaddafi and the country split in 2014 between rival eastern and western factions, though an outbreak of major warfare paused with a truce in 2020. A major energy exporter, Libya is also an important way station for migrants heading to Europe and its conflict has drawn in several foreign powers including. Its main oil facilities are located in southern and eastern Libya, far from the current fighting in Tripoli. While eastern Libya has been dominated for a decade by commander Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army (LNA), control in Tripoli and western Libya has been splintered among numerous armed factions. Dbeibah on Tuesday ordered the dismantling of what he called irregular armed groups. That announcement followed Monday's killing of major militia chief Abdulghani Kikli, widely known as Ghaniwa, and the sudden defeat of his Stabilization Support Apparatus (SSA) group by factions aligned with Dbeibah. The seizure of SSA territory in Libya by the Dbeibah-allied factions, the 444 and 111 Brigades, indicated a major concentration of power in the fragmented capital, leaving Rada as the last big faction not closely tied to the prime minister.
