Italy is under fire after releasing Osama Almasri, the head of Libya’s judicial police, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Almasri, accused of overseeing torture, rape, and killings at Libya’s Mitiga prison, was arrested in Turin over the weekend while attending a football match. Despite the ICC warrant, Italy deported him to Libya on Tuesday due to a procedural error in his arrest.
According to the Italian court, Almasri’s detention was ruled “irregular” because the Justice Ministry had not been consulted. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi defended the decision, citing “urgent security reasons,” but did not provide further details.
Almasri returned to Libya on a government plane, where he was greeted with celebrations.
Il trafficante di esseri umani e torturatore di persone #migranti Osama Najim ‘Al Masri’ Habish – mandato a Tripoli dal Governo italiano-viene accolto da eroe dai membri e sustainer della milizia Rada che, assieme a lui gestisce il lager di Mitiga. pic.twitter.com/pL0I12IPTY
— Baobab Experience (@BaobabExp) January 22, 2025
The Italian government has released the chief of the Tripoli Reform and Rehabilitation Institution, Osama Najim, days after his detention in Rome on alleged charges of human rights abuses. Najim arrived in Tripoli last night and received a hero’s welcome from his friends and… pic.twitter.com/zBlQkFJ5JS
— The Libya Observer (@Lyobserver) January 22, 2025
The ICC criticized Italy for releasing Almasri without consultation and reissued the arrest warrant. Rights groups and opposition leaders condemned the move, accusing the government of undermining its obligations as a founding ICC member.
Matteo Renzi, a former prime minister, called the decision “hypocritical,” while Amnesty International labeled it “scandalous.”
