ROME (AP) — Italian opposition lawmakers and human rights groups expressed outrage Wednesday after Italy a Libyan warrior on a technicality, after he was arrested on a warrant from the International Criminal Court accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio was disappointed about the release on Tuesday of Ossama Anjiem, also known as Ossama al-Masri, at a time that was previously recorded before the Senate. Nordio did not respond to several requests for details about the publication or to reiterate Italy's commitment to upholding international justice.
Al-Masri heads the Tripoli branch of the Reform and Rehabilitation Institute, a notorious network of detention centers run by the government-backed Special Protection Force. ICC Guarantee, dated January 18 and cited in Italian court documents, accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Mitiga prison in Libya starting in 2011, which may have to be punished with life in prison.
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Al-Masri was arrested on Sunday in Turin, where he had reportedly attended the Juventus-Milan football match the night before.
A Rome appeals court ordered his release on Tuesday, and he was sent back to Libya aboard an Italian secret service plane, due to what the appeals court said was a procedural error in his arrest. . The ruling said Nordio should have known before the arrest, as the justice ministry handles all relations with the court based in The Hague.
Al-Masri returned to Tripoli late on Tuesday. He was received at Mitiga airport by supporters who celebrated his release, according to local media. Pictures circulated online showed dozens of young men singing and carrying what appeared to be al-Masri on their shoulders at the airport.
Lawmakers from several opposition parties expressed anger and demanded clarity, with former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi accusing the far-right government of hypocrisy over its alleged crackdown on human traffickers. .
“But when a trader who the International Criminal Court tells us is a dangerous crime lands on your table, it's not as if you chased him, you brought him home to Libya with a plane of Italian secret services,” said Renzi from Italy. Party viva. “Either you are sick or this is the image of a corrupt, corrupt government.”
The Democratic Party asked Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to give a specific answer to parliament about the case, saying it raised “serious questions” with the known abuses in Libyan prisons that Al-Masri is accused of.
Italy has close ties to the internationally recognized government in Tripoli and any trial in The Hague could bring al-Masri unwanted attention to Italy's migration policies and support for the Libyan coast guard, which it has funded to prevent migrants from leaving.
Human rights groups have documented serious abuses in Libya's detention facilities where migrants are being held, and have accused Italy of complicit in their mistreatment.
“It is essential to understand why al-Masri was in Italy and why he was released with such urgency despite an international arrest warrant,” said Democratic lawmaker Paolo Ciani. He said the choice “a apparently political.”
Another senator noted that the plane sent to retrieve al-Masri was sent to Turin before the Rome appeals court had even ruled, suggesting that the decision to send him home was already done by Meloni's office, which is in charge of the Italian secret services.
Two humanitarian groups, Mediterranean Save the People and Refugees in Libya, which have documented abuses against migrants in Libyan detention facilities, said they were surprised that Italy let al-Masri go.
“Those of us who got through believed that it was actually possible to not only get justice, but more importantly to prevent this criminal from continuing to operate without concern,” they said. in a joint statement. “Instead, in the last few days we have seen something shameful, in terms of how strongly it has been done.”
But Tarik Lamloum, a Libyan activist who works with the Belady Group for Human Rights which focuses on migrants in Libya, said al-Masri was expected to be released in Italy. He said that his announcement shows the power of militias that control the flow of migrants to Europe through the shores of Libya.
“Tripoli militias can put pressure on (Italy) because they control the migrant file,” he told The Associated Press.
Militias in western Libya are part of the official state forces tasked with interdicting migrants at sea, including an EU-trained coast guard. They also run state detention centers, where migrant abuse is common.
As a result, militias – some of them under the command of warlords who have been sanctioned by the UN for abuses – are benefiting from the millions of funds that the European Union gives to Libya to stop the t -migration flow to Europe.
The ICC prosecutor's office did not respond to requests for comment. The spokesperson of the European Commission confirmed again that all EU members had promised to cooperate with the court.
“We respect the impartiality of the court and we are fully committed to international criminal justice to fight freedom,” said the spokesman of the EU Commission, Anouar El Anouni. waiting for people arrested,” he said.
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Magdy reported from Cairo. Added by Raf Casert in Brussels.
