The Hague-based ICC says Khalid Mohammed Ali al-Hishri allegedly committed serious crimes in Libya’s Mitiga prison from 2015 to 2020.
El Hishari was “handed over to the custody” of the court by German authorities on Monday in The Hague, Netherlands, where he was arrested on July 16 this year.
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“Mr. El Hishri is alleged to have been one of the most senior officials at the Mitiga prison, where thousands of people were detained for long periods of time,” the ICC said in a statement.
“They are suspected of directly committing, ordering or supervising crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, torture, rape and sexual violence, including murder, torture, rape and sexual violence in Libya between February 2015 and early 2020,” the court said.
The ICC has been investigating alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Libya since March 2011, following a request by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
in position #Libya:Khalid Mohammed Ali Al Hishri #ICC Detained at the ICC Detention Center in The Hague (Netherlands). A hearing will be scheduled at the appropriate time for Mr. El Hishri’s initial appearance before the court. Know more ⤵️ https://t.co/6kvEZ6Ei1Y
– International Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) 1 December 2025
A week after El Hishri was transferred to ICC custody, the court’s deputy prosecutor, Nazhat Shamim Khan, briefed the 15-member UNSC in New York on details of the ongoing case, saying “there is a new momentum towards justice in Libya”.
“For too long, crimes committed in detention facilities in Libya have represented a no-go zone for accountability,” he told the UNSC. But he also said the court faced “unprecedented headwinds”, including intimidation of its officials.
“Victims of murder, sexual violence, torture and the other most serious crimes addressed by our courts are harmed most by these punitive actions,” he said.
Although Libya is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the ICC, it has, as of May this year, accepted the court’s jurisdiction over its territory from 2011 until the end of 2027.
The ICC still has nine other outstanding arrest warrants in connection with the same case, including those for former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, and judicial police chief Osama Elmasri Najim.
According to media reports, Nazim was detained in Italy in January this year, but was reportedly released within a few days and transferred back to Libya, where he faced arrest last month.
The ICC issued a statement at the time of Najim’s release from Italian custody, reminding governments that are parties to the Rome Statute, including Italy, “to cooperate fully with the Court in the investigation and prosecution of crimes”.
Established in 2002, the ICC is responsible for prosecuting individuals wanted for serious crimes, including war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Court depends on the cooperation of its member states to enforce its decisions.
Unlike the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is also based in the Netherlands, the ICC is not part of the United Nations.
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