ICC: Senior Libyan prison chief arrested in Germany over assault, war crimes

German authorities have arrested Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, a Libyan national and former senior official at Mitiga Prison, in response to a sealed arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on July 10.

El Hishri was apprehended on July 16 in Germany and is accused of involvement in crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Libya between February 2015 and early 2020. According to the ICC, he is suspected of having personally committed, ordered, or overseen acts including murder, torture, rape, and sexual violence during his tenure at Mitiga Prison, where thousands were reportedly detained for extended periods, Caliber.Az reports per ICC report.

He will remain in German custody while national judicial proceedings are carried out in accordance with Article 59 of the Rome Statute, which governs the ICC’s operations.

“The ICC continues to prioritise stronger internal coordination and deeper external cooperation to implement judicial orders and arrest warrants, which are essential steps for proceedings to move forward and for victims to see justice delivered,” said ICC Registrar Osvaldo Zavala Giler. “I thank the national authorities for their strong and consistent cooperation with the Court, including leading to this recent arrest.”

The ICC’s investigation into Libya stems from a referral by the United Nations Security Council in February 2011, under Resolution 1970. The Prosecutor officially opened the investigation on March 3 of the same year. In May 2025, the Libyan government formally accepted the Court’s jurisdiction on its territory from 2011 through the end of 2027.

El Hishri’s arrest is the latest in a series of ICC efforts to bring accountability in the Libyan context. Eight other individuals remain subject to outstanding ICC arrest warrants, including Osama Elmasry Njeem, Abdurahem Khalefa Abdurahem Elshgagi, Makhlouf Makhlouf Arhoumah Doumah, Nasser Muhammad Muftah Daou, Mohamed Mohamed Al Salheen Salmi, Abdelbari Ayyad Ramadan Al Shaqaqi, Fathi Faraj Mohamed Salim Al Zinkal, and Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi.

By Sabina Mammadli