Libyan war crimes suspect freed because of errors in ICC warrant, Italy says

Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordo said that Rome has no choice but to release Libyan war crimes due to “errors and inaccuracy” in an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Osama Al -Masry Njeim, head of the judicial police in Libya, was arrested in Turin on January 19.

Two days later, He was released and returned to Tripoli on an Italian air plane.

Mr. Njeim faces various accusations, including killing, rape and torture associated with its role in the Mitiga detention center in Tripoli, and issued his release conviction from opposition parties and NGOs.

In his speech to the Italian parliament on Wednesday, Carlo Nordo said that an order led to the detention of Mr. Njeim was full of “inaccuracy, negligence, contradictions and contradictory conclusions”, which means that the Libyan citizen cannot be considered in prison.

Interior Minister Matteo Bayanousi said that Mr. Njeim was expelled because he was “the danger of national security.”

The photos that are shared by the Libyan media that show a cheerful crowd welcoming the back of Mr. Njeim, which appeared widely on the Italian media. The International Criminal Court called for an explanation from the Italian authorities.

Elie Shalin, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party (PD), accused Nordio of speaking not as a government minister but rather a “lawyer for torture.”

Last week, Prime Minister Georgia Meloni She revealed that she, Nordio and Bentussi was under investigation regarding the launch of Mr. Najim.

A special court began dealing with cases related to ministers in the investigation.

David Yambio, 27, from South Sudan, says he was hurting in Metiga prison in Tripoli, to BBC that Italy is “complicit in the atrocities taking place in Libya.”

He says he faced Mr. Njeim for the first time after he was arrested at sea while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea on a boat and returned to Libya.

After forcing him to join a militia – he says he is a “pure nightmare” – Mr. Yambio ended in Metiga, where he says he suffered from torture. He also said that he saw Mr. Njeim offended other immigrants.

“The injustice we suffered from, and how Italy became complicit in our eyes, is clear. They took justice away from us.”

“Our torture was in Italy, and he was arrested, and then smuggled to Libya,” Mr. Yambio added.

As a signing of the International Criminal Court, Italy is legally obligated to implement the orders of the court.

But critics are proposing Italy’s decision to liberate Mr. Njeim, may have been affected by its political and commercial relations with Libya.

In 2017, the Paulo Gentiloni government She drafted a deal with Tripoli. Italy witnessed the Libyan Coast Guard to intercept migratory boats Before they reach the Italian beaches.

Non -governmental organizations have constantly criticized this policy, which they say exposed migrants to harsh conditions in Libyan detention centers.

The issue has now dominated the headlines of Italian newspapers for weeks.

However, it is unlikely to achieve the investigation of Meloni, Nordio and Bianoosi any meaningful consequences, given the government’s solid parliamentary majority.

Last week, Meloni suggested that the investigation was part of an attack on political motives from the left and said it would not “blackmail or intimidate.”

But some commentators believe that Libya’s ability to benefit from its relationship with Rome highlights Italy’s weakness in immigration – one of Meloni’s leading issues.

“While Meloni insists that she is not subject to extortion from the judiciary, she is very vulnerable to Libya, given its installation of immigration,” said Natalie Toyki, director of the Rome Institute for International Affairs.

She added that the case “was armed and exploited” by Libya.

“The implicit message is: Either you release Mr. Njeim, or we will allow migratory boats through it.”

Libya plays a major role in the success of the Mattei plan in Meloni – an ambitious group of policies aimed at strengthening European cooperation with Africa in exchange for curbing irregular migration.

“The issue of Libya is the issue of … the security of the national, and this means the safety of all citizens,” former Interior Minister Marco Minte told the Italian newspaper Corriere del Della Sira.

“A large part of national security is played outside the national borders.”

For Mr. Yambio and the other survivors of the atrocities that Mr. Njeim accused, the launch of the man who tells them torturing them is “deep betrayal.”

In a letter to Giorgia Meloni, they called for the end of the Italian-Libya immigration agreement, as well as the issuance of those who are still detained in Libyan camps.

“We are witnesses to many of the crimes that Mr. Njeim bears.”