ICC says Libyan detainee ran brutal torture operations

 A 47-year-old suspect accused of overseeing one of the most notorious prisons in Libya was known as a ruthless torturer nicknamed "the angel of death" by detainees, prosecutors told judges at the International Criminal Court on Tuesday.

Prosecutors allege Al Hishri oversaw the women's wing in Mitiga, a detention centre run by the Special Deterrence Force - known as Rada in Libya. Thousands of victims were unlawfully arrested and kept without legal basis, held in inhumane conditions and systematically abused and tortured, according to prosecutors.     

"Khaled (Mohamed Ali) Al Hishri was widely known as a notorious torturer at the helm of Mitiga prison," deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan said at the start of three days of hearings set to determine the exact charges to be brought.

Prosecutors said Al Hishri personally abused and tortured inmates and raped them as part of a pattern of sexualised torture. They asked judges to confirm 17 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes including murder, rape, persecution and enslavement dating from February 2015 until early 2020.

Al Hishri has not yet entered a formal plea to the suggested charges, but lawyers acting for him have asked judges to reject the charges and they challenge the court's jurisdiction in this case, court documents show. He was arrested in Germany in July last year.

If judges confirm the charges, Al Hishri's case could become the first trial at the ICC focused on Libya.

The ICC has been looking into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Libya since the case was referred to the court by the U.N. Security Council in 2011.

In January 2025 Italy briefly arrested another ICC suspect also linked to the Mitiga prison, but he was released and returned to Libya, sparking condemnation.