ICC issues arrest warrants for six Libyans for war crimes committed in Tarhuna, Libya

MADRID 4 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants against six Libyan citizens for their responsibility in the crimes committed in the town of Tarhuna, located southeast of the capital, Tripoli, where dozens of bodies were found in various mass graves after the withdrawal of the Kaniyat militia.

“Pre-Trial Chamber I examined the six applications for arrest warrants and the evidence and, by majority, found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the suspects have committed crimes within the jurisdiction of the court and that their arrest is necessary.” , reads the organization’s statement.

The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, has indicated that this decision is “important” in order to “do justice and account for the crimes committed in Libya in accordance with resolution 1970 of the United Nations Security Council.”

This resolution authorized the ICC to investigate possible human rights violations during the leadership of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and imposed, among other measures, a freeze on the assets of members of the Libyan authorities at that time.

“I would like to thank all the victims who came to my office and provided information to establish the truth. I applaud them for their bravery and determination to demand accountability for these crimes,” he added.

Three of the six suspects were leaders or prominent members of the militia, which controlled Tarhuna from 2015 to 2020. The other three held positions in the Libyan security sector and had ties to Kaniyat at the time of the alleged crimes.

The arrest warrants – which refer to war crimes such as murder, torture, sexual violence or rape, among others – affect Abdurahem al Kani; Majluf Majluf Arhuma Duma; Abdelbari Ayad Radadam al Shaqaqi; Fathi Faraj Mohamed Salim al Zinkal; Naser Mohamed Muftá Dau and Mohamed Mohamed al Salhin Salmi.

Khan visited Tarhuna in November 2022, where he was able to hear accounts of people who were in “horrific and inhumane” conditions under the rule of the militia. Likewise, he visited several mass graves located in landfills and farms.

A United Nations report warned in August of the “lack of accountability” for the crimes committed in Tarhuna, pointing out that one of the first obstacles was the integration of the militia into the former Government of National Accord (GAN) led by former Prime Minister of Unity Fayed Serraj and later in the Libyan Army.

The report expanded on the conclusions published in 2022 by the independent fact-finding mission on Libya that detailed the discovery of mass graves in Tarhuna located about 65 kilometers southeast of the capital, Tripoli. Most of the bodies discovered showed signs of torture.

The Kaniyat militia was initially an ally of the Libyan unity government, but later switched sides and supported the offensive led by the commander of the country’s former eastern forces, Khalifa Haftar, against Tripoli between 2019 and 2020. leader, Mohamad al Kani, died in July 2021 in an armed confrontation.