Italian police arrested Osama Najim, also known as Almasri, the director of Mitiga prison near Tripoli, Libya, in Turin on January 19, on a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC). However, a tribunal declined to approve the arrest, and Najim was subsequently released and sent back to Libya.
Italy has released a senior member of Libya's judicial police who was arrested in Turin on Sunday (January 19) on a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes, an interior ministry source announced on Tuesday.
The man, identified as Osama Najim, also known as Almasri, reportedly boarded a flight back to Tripoli shortly after his release, according to ANSA and other Italian media outlets, reported Reuters.
Osama Najim was reportedly the head of Libya's judicial police and the director of Mitiga prison near Tripoli, a facility widely criticized by human rights organizations for its arbitrary detention, torture, and abuse of migrants and refugees.
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The facility is said to be overseen by the government-backed Special Deterrence Force (SDF), a military police unit responsible for combating high-profile crimes such as kidnappings, murders, and human trafficking, which has been implicated in numerous atrocities during Libya’s civil war following the 2011 overthrow of dictator Moammar Gaddafi, reported AP.
The International Criminal Court has recently expanded its focus beyond Libya’s civil war, issuing arrest warrants related to alleged crimes in detention centers where human rights organizations have documented severe abuses.
Najim’s release was reportedly due to a legal technicality, the interior ministry source explained, as police failed to promptly inform the justice ministry of his arrest, as required by procedure, according to Reuters.
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Reactions following arrest, NGO condemns EU-Italy collaboration
The Italian migrant rescue charity Mediterranea Saving Humans had hailed the arrest, saying the arrest "took place following a few years of condemnations and witness accounts by victims, sent to the International Criminal Court which carried out an official inquiry. Almasri is proof of how atrocious and criminal the Libyan system is, with the support for years of millions of euros by the Italian government and the European Union."
The NGO criticized EU-Libya agreements that support Libyan efforts to stop migrant sea crossings to Europe. These deals have faced widespread condemnation from the United Nations, human rights experts, and international charities like Doctors Without Borders for enabling systemic abuse and exploitation of migrants in Libya.
In Libya, the arrest was initially met with different reactions.
According to the Libyan website Libya Review, the Libyan judicial police and the Ain Zara Main Prison condemned the arrest, calling it an "arbitrary detention" and describing it as an "outrageous incident." They urged Libyan authorities to intervene and secure Najim’s release.
Najim is mentioned in the book 'Hands on the Coast Guard'
Najim is prominently mentioned in the book "Hands on the Coast Guard!" by Italian journalist Nello Scavo, published by the daily Avvenire. In his book, Scavo identifies Najim as "one of the figures capable of blackmailing Italy and Europe with boat arrivals." According to Scavo, Najim seeks "legitimization, funding, and a free hand to operate in government-run prison camps."
The book also exposes Najim’s role in illegally transferring migrants from both official and unofficial detention centers in Tripoli to the Mitiga facility. There, detainees were reportedly subjected to forced labor, slavery, and recruitment into militias, including tasks such as weapon maintenance.
With ANSA, Reuters, AP
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