On 19 to 21 May, Libyan militia leader Khaled Mohamed Ali al-Hishri will appear at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Judges will hear evidence against al-Hishri in a ‘confirmation of charges’ hearing to determine whether the case against him should proceed to trial. The ICC Office of the Prosecutor alleges that al-Hishri is responsible for 17 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including torture, rape, sexual violence, murder, enslavement, and persecution. The charges relate to crimes allegedly committed at Libya’s notorious Mitiga Prison in Tripoli, between 2014 and 2020, against both Libyan and non-Libyan detainees. Some of these crimes are alleged to have been committed against over 900 victims in Mitiga Prison.
Al-Hishri is the first person to face justice before the ICC concerning atrocities in Libya since the United Nations Security Council referred the situation in Libya to the ICC prosecutor in 2011, to investigate serious crimes committed following the country’s uprising.