On 29 May, the European Court of Human Rights published two cases lodged on 16 April against the State of Italy concerning the Italian Government’s failure to execute an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Libyan militia commander Osama al-Masri Najeem. The cases are being brought by a man from South Sudan and a woman from the Ivory Coast who claim they were tortured in the Mitiga detention centre in Tripoli, which was overseen by Najeem.
The Sudanese man said he was forced to fight in the militia, while the Ivory Coast national said she was subject to sexual violence and ill-treatment. The plaintiffs allege that Italy’s failure to enforce the ICC’s arrest warrant breached their right to life and the prohibition of torture under the European Convention of Human Rights, leading to a denial of justice.