The International Criminal Court has been informed that a senior commander at a Libyan prison committed heinous acts, including murder and rape of prisoners, often in the presence of their children, leading to him being dubbed the “Angel of Death.” The court in The Hague is conducting pretrial hearings for the first-ever suspect from Libya, who faces charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes at the notorious Mitiga prison in Tripoli between 2015 and 2020, following the demise of long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, referred to as the “Angel of Death” by detainees at the facility, was described as a senior commander responsible for the women’s section, where incidents of sexual violence were rampant. Prosecutors stated that El Hishri was notorious for carrying a gun and shooting prisoners in the leg or knee, actions that were not isolated incidents but rather reflective of the prison’s environment.
While the ongoing hearings serve to present the prosecution’s case, judges will have 60 days following the presentation of evidence to determine if there is sufficient cause to proceed to trial for El Hishri. The suspect, who was apprehended in Germany and subsequently transferred to the Netherlands in December under an ICC warrant, is poised to be the first Libyan individual to face trial at the international court.
Following the 2011 UN Security Council mandate for an investigation into Libya’s descent into chaos after Gadhafi’s overthrow, the ICC has issued warrants for several Libyan figures, including Gadhafi’s son. Notably, Italy detained but later released on technical grounds another suspect, Ossama Anjiem, also linked to crimes at the Mitiga prison, sparking condemnation from human rights advocates.
