THE HAGUE: A Libyan accused by the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity and war crimes has been arrested in Germany on a sealed arrest warrant, the court announced Friday.
Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri was allegedly one of the most senior officials at Miriga Prison in Tripoli where thousands of people were detained. He was arrested Wednesday based on a warrant issued by the court on July 10.
“He is suspected of having committed directly himself, ordered or overseen crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, torture, rape and sexual violence, allegedly committed in Libya from February 2015 to early 2020,” the ICC said in a statement.
El Hishri will remain in custody in Germany until legal proceedings to have him transported to The Hague are completed.
The court relies on other countries to execute its arrest warrants. It paid tribute to German authorities for detaining El Hishri.
“I thank the national authorities for their strong and consistent cooperation with the Court, including leading to this recent arrest,” ICC Registrar Osvaldo Zavala Giler said in a statement.
The United Nations Security Council called on the ICC to open an investigation in Libya in 2011 amid violence that led to the toppling of Muammar Qaddafi and morphed into a crippling civil war. The court issued a warrant for the longtime Libyan strongman, but he was killed by rebels before he could be detained.
The court has arrest warrants out for eight other Libyan suspects, including one of Qaddafi’s sons. Earlier this year, authorities in Libya accepted the court’s jurisdiction over the country from 2011 through to the end of 2027.
Libyan accused of war crimes has been arrested in Germany, ICC says
https://arab.news/m98tw
Libyan accused of war crimes has been arrested in Germany, ICC says
- El Hishri will remain in Germany until his transfer to The Hague
- The ICC thanked German authorities for their cooperation
Saudi Arabia increasingly concerned by Israel’s impact on regional instability: Experts
- Middle East Institute hosts panel discussion attended by Arab News
CHICAGO: Experts on Wednesday noted Saudi Arabia’s increased concern over Israel’s regional conduct during a panel discussion hosted by the Middle East Institute and attended by Arab News.
F. Gregory Gause III, professor emeritus of international affairs at the Bush School of Government at Texas A&M University, said Israel rather than Iran has become the more immediate worry for the Kingdom.
“I think there’s a real worry that post-Oct. 7 it’s the Israelis, not the Iranians, who might be the fomenters of instability in Syria, in Lebanon, even with the attack on Doha,” he said.
Saudi Arabia’s priority is achieving “stability in the region,” and it believes that closer relations with the US can achieve that, he added.
Former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney said the Kingdom’s concerns have pushed it to seek closer ties to the US through President Donald Trump, who has been more responsive than his predecessor Joe Biden.
During his recent visit to Washington, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “got everything he wanted” for Saudi Arabia’s interests, Ratney said, adding that his priority is to make the Kingdom a lynchpin of regional stability.
The Saudis “are more positive about the relationship with the US than I think a lot of people here realize,” Ratney said. “They genuinely want their entire strategic outlook anchored in the US.”
Dr. Karen E. Young, a senior MEI fellow, said the Saudis have a growing concern for how regional instability impacts their economic advances under the Vision 2030 reform plan.
“Certainly there’s concern for the neighborhood, but in new ways and more geared toward what instability in the region means for economic development, tourism, logistics, trade and even connectivity, whether it’s in trading and selling electricity or perhaps in the transfer of data,” she added. “So they need calm, and that means on both sides of the Red Sea.”
