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ICC Begins Hearings for Libyan Suspect Accused of Torture at Mitiga Prison

A decision within 60 days could set up the court’s first Libya trial.

The ICC tries individuals for the world's worst crimes
The International Criminal Court building is seen in The Hague, Netherlands, January 16, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

Overview

  • Prosecutors on Tuesday opened three days of confirmation hearings at the ICC for Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri on 17 suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity.
  • They said he oversaw the women’s wing at Tripoli’s Mitiga prison for the Special Deterrence Force and personally tortured, raped, and killed detainees.
  • Witnesses described him shooting prisoners in the legs, hanging them with hands bound, and beating them with a shovel, with sexual violence used as punishment.
  • Prosecutors said many detainees died at Mitiga from torture, untreated wounds, starvation, or being left outside in winter cold.
  • German police arrested him in July 2025 and sent him to the Netherlands in December, and a separate Italy arrest and release of another suspect highlighted cooperation hurdles in the Libya probe.