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Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
A Libyan accused of war crimes has been arrested in Germany, ICC says
THE HAGUE: A Libyan accused by the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity and war crimes has been arrested in Germany on a sealed arrest warrant, the court announced 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 Hishri will remain in custody in Germany until legal proceedings to have him transported to The Hague are 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 United Nations Security Council called on the ICC to open an investigation in Libya in 2011 amid violence that led to the toppling of Muammar Qaddafi 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 court has arrest warrants out for eight other Libyan suspects, including one of Qaddafi's sons. Earlier this year, authorities in Libya accepted the court's jurisdiction over the country from 2011 through to the end of 2027.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
A Libyan accused of war crimes has been arrested in Germany, ICC says
A Libyan accused by the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity and war crimes has been arrested in Germany on a sealed arrest warrant, the court announced Friday. 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.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Associated Press
A Libyan accused of war crimes has been arrested in Germany, ICC says
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Libyan accused by the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity and war crimes has been arrested in Germany on a sealed arrest warrant, the court announced Friday. 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.
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Canada must come off the sidelines of international justice
Alex Neve is a professor of international human-rights law at the University of Ottawa. Amanda Ghahremani is an international human-rights lawyer and a research fellow at the Human Rights Center at the UC Berkeley School of Law. Prime Minister Mark Carney was elected on a promise to stand up to Donald Trump's bullying, supposedly heralding a new era in U.S.-Canada relations. Yet Mr. Carney's first months in office have revealed a sharp turn toward Mr. Trump and U.S. interests, including on border control and military spending. Now, it seems Canada has capitulated to yet another U.S. obsession: attacks on the International Criminal Court (ICC). Canada has remained silent in the face of a recent round of withering U.S. attacks on the ICC for charging two senior Israeli leaders with oversight of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Mr. Trump's vitriol against the ICC has led to sanctions against the court's chief prosecutor and four of its judges, as well as a UN independent expert who has supported the court's investigation of Israel. Other ICC personnel could be sanctioned at any time. At a UN Human Rights Council session in June, 50 states released a joint statement in which they 'firmly reject[ed] these regrettable attempts to undermine the judicial independence of the court and the integrity of the Rome Statute system.' At another UN meeting in July, 48 states jointly reiterated that 'the court, its officials and staff must be able to carry out their mandate and professional duties without intimidation, coercion or duress.' Many of our closest allies endorsed these statements. Canada did not. Is Canada's silence a sign that we are moving to the sidelines of international justice? Mr. Carney and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand have said nothing to explain this about-face in our foreign policy toward an institution that we helped to establish. Opinion: Canada needs to follow through on its promise to help Palestinians Indeed, one of Canada's proudest moments on the world stage was its leadership during the 1998 global conference to adopt the Rome Statute and establish the ICC. Canada was the 14th country to sign the treaty and one of the first countries to pass domestic legislation to implement it. Canadian Philippe Kirsch was the court's first president. Canadian Kimberly Prost is currently an ICC judge and could be at risk of being sanctioned for her work. How dismal, therefore, to see Canada's leadership squandered in recent weeks because of what appears to be a fixation on appeasing Mr. Trump. While the Rome Statute was a historic breakthrough, delivering international justice was bound to be complicated. There are significant practical challenges in carrying out investigations amidst armed conflict and mass atrocities. There are daunting political challenges with many countries not only refusing to recognize the ICC's jurisdiction but aggressively objecting to cases the court has properly initiated. The U.S. is no fan of the court and has relentlessly lashed out at any prospect of U.S. or Israeli officials being charged for their involvement in international crimes. Although the U.S. and Israel are not members of the ICC, the State of Palestine is a recognized member and crimes committed on its territory or by its nationals fall within the jurisdiction of the court. This means that the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel and the ongoing bombardment of Gaza – which legal and human-rights experts argue amounts to genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity – can all be investigated. And the ICC did investigate. In November, 2024, the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant. The prosecutor had also sought three warrants for Hamas leaders but abandoned them when they were killed by Israeli forces. Prior to Mr. Carney's election, Canada publicly joined other states in June, 2024, and February, 2025, in expressing 'continued and unwavering support for the independence, impartiality, and integrity of the ICC.' What has changed since then is our country's leadership, and the fact that sanctions have now actually been imposed. Whether Canada's silence is a roundabout way of showing displeasure with the arrest warrants lawfully issued against Israeli leaders, or a timid unwillingness to say anything indirectly critical of the Trump administration (or both), it represents an unprincipled and craven abandonment of the imperative to strengthen the rule of law in our turbulent, violent world. At a time when civilian protection is desperately under threat, not only in Gaza, but in Ukraine, Sudan, Afghanistan, Myanmar and many other corners of the world, Canada cannot afford to be equivocal and selective about something as essential as international accountability and justice. What is most objectionable is that this shift in Canadian policy was carried out by stealth, with no public notification or explanation, at a time when Canadians crave principled and ethical leadership on the international stage. We need better. And the world certainly deserves better.
The National
3 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Belgian court bans transit of military goods to Israel
A Belgian court on Thursday ordered the regional Flemish government to block the transit of military goods bound for Israel, including through the port of Antwerp. The court said it would enforce a €50,000 ($58,000) fine per shipment if the government violated the regulation. Antwerp is the second largest container port in Europe. The four Flemish NGOs that filed the case accused the Flemish government of "not intervening decisively enough" in its monitoring of equipment exported to Israel for potential military use, the court said in a statement. "The interim relief judge believes this fear is apparently well-founded," it said. The NGOs - Vredeactie, INTAL, 11.11.11 and the League for Human Rights - said military equipment destined for Israel is likely used by the Israeli military in Gaza. "This historic ruling recognises that the Flemish government bears a crushing legal responsibility for facilitating military missions to a state that commits war crimes and possibly genocide," they said. The judge also ordered the seizure of a container destined for Israeli defence company Ashot Ashkelon Industries containing spare parts, produced in France, for armoured vehicles. Court documents show that plaintiffs argued this shipment was not an "isolated incident," pointing out four other ships suspected of carrying military goods departed for Israel in the past few weeks. The court found the Flemish authorities had a "passive attitude", described as "problematic", and inspect such shipments only after a request by transporters, giving the impression they are not in control of the situation, the NGOs said. The judge supported their position by citing Israel's documented breaches of international law in Gaza since October 7, 2023, Belgian press agency Belga reported. References were made to findings by the UN and the International Court of Justice concerning violations of international humanitarian law, the laws of war and the Genocide Convention. Israel and close allies, including the US, have rejected accusations of genocide, which were described last year by the ICJ as "plausible". The accusation has been endorsed by human rights organisations and nations such as Ireland. Israel says the high death toll is unavoidable because the war is taking place in a densely populated area. In 2009, Belgium decided to not issue arms exports licences that would strengthen the Israeli military forces, though goods can be sent to Israel in some cases, such as if they are then re-exported to a third country. Reports indicate the decision has not been respected. "The Flemish arms embargo has proven to be an empty shell," the NGOs said. Last month, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters blocked access to two Belgian defence companies accused of complicity in Israel's war on Gaza. The chief executive of one of the companies, a subsidiary of Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit systems, accused the protesters of vandalising equipment destined for Ukraine. The Gaza war was triggered by a Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 58,667 Palestinians. The high death toll and reports of starvation have put the European Union under pressure to review its relations with Israel, though with little effect so far. The EU's 27 foreign ministers decided to not launch retaliatory measures this week, despite ascertaining that Israel had breached a human rights clause governing relations with the bloc. They instead agreed to monitor a deal struck recently with Israel to allow more aid into Gaza.
