THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court told judges on Tuesday that the head of a Libyan detention facility was known as the “Angel of Death,” and that he murdered and raped prisoners, sometimes in front of their children.
The court in The Hague is holding pretrial hearings for its first ever suspect from the North African country, a man accused of 17 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes at the infamous
Mitiga prison in Tripoli between 2015 and 2020, a period following the death of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
Detainees at the facility referred to Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri as the “Angel of Death,” deputy prosecutor Nazhat Khan told judges in her opening statement, quoting from one of the nearly 1,000 victims in the case.
The 47-year old, wearing a blue suit and blue tie, was expressionless as the charges against him were described.
According to the charges, El Hishri was as a senior commander at the facility, and was in charge of the women’s section, where sexual violence was widespread. Prosecutors said El Hishri was known for always carrying his gun and shooting prisoners in the leg or knee.
“These were not the acts of rogue Mitiga prison guards,” Khan said.
The hearing is not a trial, but allows prosecutors to outline their case in court. After weighing the evidence, judges have 60 days to decide whether it is strong enough to merit putting El Hishri on trial.
El Hishri was sent to the Netherlands in December by Germany, where he was arrested in July on a sealed ICC warrant.
His case is set to be the first of a Libyan suspect to go to trial at the international court, whose prosecutors were tasked by the United Nations Security Council in 2011 with launching an investigation in the north African nation as it descended into lawlessness following an uprising that toppled Gadhafi.
The court had swiftly issued a warrant for Gadhafi, but rebels killed him before he could be detained and sent to The Hague.
The court has arrest warrants out for nine other Libyan suspects, including one of Gadhafi’s sons.
Italy arrested but then released on a technicality one of the suspects, Ossama Anjiem, also known as Ossama al-Masri, in January, sparking outrage among human rights defenders. He was also accused of crimes at the Mitiga prison.
