The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued six international arrest warrants for crimes committed in Tarhouna during the control of Al-Kani militia in the city.
According to the ICC, those wanted for the crimes are: Abdul Rahim Al-Kani, Makhlouf Douma, Mohammad Al-Saliheen, Dou, Fathi Al-Zankal, and Abdul Bari Al-Shaqaqi.
It is noteworthy that four of the warrants were issued on April 6, 2023, while the last two were issued on July 28 of the same year, before they were declassified. On September 4, the Public Prosecution, in consultation with the Victims and Witnesses Unit, requested the First Pre-Trial Chamber to disclose the arrest warrants and issue general written copies of them.
The ICC said that the First Pre-Trial Chamber issued this decision approving the prosecution’s request to declassify the arrest warrants.
Since the liberation of the city of Tarhouna from Haftar's forces in June 2020, the discovery of mass graves - left behind by Al-Kani militia in the city, which allied with Haftar at the start of his aggression on Tripoli in 2019, and had controlled the city years before - has not stopped.
Commenting on the issue, the ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan, said that lifting the confidentiality of the six arrest warrants constituted an important moment in the collective work to achieve justice and accountability for crimes committed in Libya. Khan added that the arrest warrant was issued secretly in order to maximize the chances of arrest and to reduce the risks that ongoing criminal investigations may be exposed to.
Khan explained that arrest and surrender can be achieved most effectively by unsealing the warrants, confirming ICC's endeavor to work with the Libyan authorities to ensure the arrest of the accused and bringing them to trial.
He said that the people of Tarhouna were subjected to crimes amounting to war crimes, including murder, assault of personal dignity, cruel treatment, torture, sexual violence, and rape, and he stressed that the situation in Libya is a priority for his office.
