Culture Society, Identity and Belonging
Last weekend Italian authorities detained Osama Elmasry Njeem, head of Libya’s judicial police, under an international arrest warrant. Two days later they freed him.
The International Criminal Court has accused Njeem of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder and rape, in an infamous detention centre he is believed to have run in Tripoli.
Arrested in a hotel in Turin, Njeem was returned to Libya on an Italian government flight. An ICC statement said he was released “without prior notice or consultation” and sought explanations from the Italian government.
It was initially reported that Njeem was freed on a legal technicality. On Thursday, Italy’s interior minister said he was repatriated “for urgent security reasons”.
Human rights groups have linked Njeem’s release to Italy’s pact with Libya to forcibly stop migrant sea crossings.
Some of those pushed back end up in Libyan detention centres.
