GNU rejects surrendering Osama Njeem to the ICC
In a statement issued Sunday, the Ministry of Justice under the GUN said it had lifted the procedural restriction on Officer Osama Njeem; a serving member of the Judicial Police affiliated with the ministry. The move, the ministry said, was made in accordance with national law and jurisdictional rules, based on a request from the Attorney General.
The ministry published the request for lifting the restriction on its Facebook page, stamped by the Attorney General's Office, confirming that Njeem had appeared for questioning on April 24.
The Ministry of Justice said that 'the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has not, to date, submitted any evidence to Libya's Public Prosecution related to the alleged charges, and the ministry has not received any formal correspondence.'
The ministry further pointed out that 'Libya has neither signed nor ratified the Rome Statute (the treaty establishing the ICC). Therefore, no Libyan citizen will be handed over outside the jurisdiction of Libyan territory, and the national judiciary is fully competent to consider such cases.'
On January 18, Osama Njeem was detained by authorities in the Italian city of Turin under an ICC arrest warrant. However, he was released two days later and returned to Libya due to a procedural flaw in the international request — a move that drew strong domestic and international criticism. On May 18, the ICC published the arrest warrant issued by its Prosecutor against Njeem, listing 12 charges, including murder and rape.
Njeem, who was reportedly in charge of prisons in Tripoli where thousands of individuals were detained for extended periods, is suspected of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes at Mitiga Prison starting in February 2015. The charges include premeditated murder, torture, rape, sexual violence, degrading treatment, cruel treatment, unlawful imprisonment, and persecution, according to the arrest warrant.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Libya Observer
5 hours ago
- Libya Observer
Over 100 migrants freed from trafficking ring in Ajdabiya
Libyan authorities have freed 104 migrant from a human trafficking network operating in the eastern city of Ajdabiya, the Attorney General's Office announced on Monday. Security forces arrested five suspects—identified as Libyan, Sudanese, and Egyptian nationals—accused of illegally detaining and torturing migrants to extort ransom payments from their families. Investigations revealed that the victims were subjected to severe abuse and inhumane treatment while being held against their will. The suspects are currently in pretrial detention, and prosecutors say efforts are ongoing to dismantle the wider trafficking network and pursue those involved in human rights violations. Libya remains a major transit point for migrants attempting to reach Europe, with traffickers often exploiting the country's instability to operate with impunity. Tags: human trafficking
Libya Observer
5 hours ago
- Libya Observer
UNSMIL: Western region movement submitted proposals to shape consensus-based roadmap
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said that representatives of the Western Region Movement submitted proposals aimed at shaping a consensus-based roadmap during a meeting with UN envoy Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, Stephanie Koury. The mission added that Tetteh and Koury received, on Monday, 15 members of the Western Region Movement, including the mayors of Ain Zara, Al-Jumail, Al-Manshiya, Souq Al-Jumua, Sorman, Central Al-Zawiya, and Zuwara. The meeting aimed to hear their views on the work of the advisory committee and the best ways to break the political deadlock. The movement emphasized the urgent need to 'unify military and security institutions under the leadership of a single Libyan government that exercises effective control over all Libyan territory.' Participants also voiced concern over the spread of weapons and rising military tensions, stressing the risks posed to civilian lives. One of the leaders, representing 143 local officials (mokhtars) from 11 municipalities in the western region, conveyed the community's firm desire for peace and called on all concerned parties to engage in dialogue to resolve the conflict. Tetteh reaffirmed the UN mission's commitment to continue supporting de-escalation efforts to prevent the outbreak of violence and to work on developing a consensus-based roadmap toward holding elections and unifying institutions. She is expected to present the roadmap to the UN Security Council during her upcoming briefing in August. Tags: UNSMIL libyan crisis
Libya Observer
5 hours ago
- Libya Observer
Dbeibah reviews with Greek Foreign Minister enhancing cooperation, resuming flights
The Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, received on Tuesday Greece's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Georgios Gerapetritis. During the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation between Libya and Greece, particularly in economic and service sectors. The two sides also addressed the possibility of reopening Greek airspace to Libyan air traffic and resuming direct flights between the two countries. They emphasized the importance of maintaining direct dialogue that ensures respect for national sovereignty and strengthens good neighborly relations in the interest of the Libyan and Greek peoples. Earlier Tuesday morning, the Greek Foreign Minister arrived in Tripoli on an official visit to Libya, where he met with the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Taher Al-Baour. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the visit falls within the framework of strengthening friendly and cooperative relations and discussing bilateral issues between the two countries. The Greek Foreign Minister's visit comes just days after Libya had submitted a diplomatic protest to the United Nations over Greece's claims regarding maritime boundaries south and west of the island of Crete. Tags: Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah Greece
