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The International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed 17 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity on Thursday against former Libyan prison boss Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri.
Judges rejected defence challenges to the court’s jurisdiction, clearing the way for the prosecution of the 48-year-old, whom witnesses nicknamed the “Angel of Death.”
The upcoming trial will mark the first prosecution arising from the United Nations-mandated investigation into Libya’s conflict.
Prosecutors allege that El Hishri ran the notorious Mitiga prison near Tripoli as a brutal torturer between February 2015 and early 2020.
During hearings in May, Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan described how El Hishri personally abused prisoners to set a violent example for his guards.
Witnesses recounted how he shot detainees in their legs, hung them by their bound hands, and beat them with shovels.
Defence attorney Yasser Mohamed Ahmed Hassan stated that his client denies all allegations.
While the court has not yet scheduled a trial date, Khan urged the tribunal to move quickly to deliver justice for the thousands of victims who suffered unlawful detention and abuse at Mitiga prison.
