The International Criminal Court announced it has taken a Libyan suspect into custody for alleged atrocities committed against detainees, as Libya continues to suffer from years of conflict, foreign intervention, and deep political fragmentation.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on Monday that it has formally received Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, a Libyan national accused of supervising severe and systematic abuses—including murder, torture, rape, and prolonged arbitrary detention—at the controversial Mitiga prison near the capital Tripoli.

According to the ICC, El Hishri was arrested in Germany in July and has now been transferred to the ICC detention facility in The Hague, where he will remain pending his initial appearance before the judges. The court stated that El Hishri is suspected of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during his period of influence as a senior official at the prison, where “thousands were detained for long periods,” many of them without due process.

Mitiga prison has long been associated with militia control, enforced disappearances, and allegations of systematic torture. Rights groups have repeatedly reported cases of detainees being held in overcrowded cells, denied medical care, subjected to electric shocks, beatings, and sexual violence—practices the ICC believes were carried out under the chain of command in which El Hishri allegedly played a decisive role.

German media, citing security officials, reported that El Hishri was taken into custody at Berlin Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Tunis. He was held in Germany for several months while legal procedures were completed to allow his transfer to the Netherlands in accordance with international extradition standards.

Libya, an oil-rich North African country, continues to reel from the consequences of the 2011 NATO intervention that removed long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi. More than a decade later, the country remains deeply fragmented and plagued by crises, with rival governments in the east and west vying for authority, foreign powers supporting competing militias, and armed groups exercising de facto control over various regions.

The UN-recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) administers parts of western Libya, while the eastern region is controlled by the forces aligned with Khalifa Haftar. Despite international efforts, national reconciliation has remained elusive, and the lack of unified institutions has contributed to persistent insecurity, lawlessness, and human rights abuses.

The ICC emphasized that its responsibility is to ensure accountability for atrocities committed during Libya’s ongoing turmoil. The court stated that El Hishri’s case represents a step toward justice for the countless detainees who suffered under militia-controlled facilities, though many observers note that numerous perpetrators remain free amid the country’s unstable environment.

The court added that the date for El Hishri’s initial appearance would be announced “in due course.” (ILKHA)