🇮🇹 Today's article focuses on *Italy*. This is the latest setback in cooperation between a State party and the International Criminal Court (ICC). On January 21, Osama Almasri Najim, head of the Libyan judicial police, was released on procedural grounds by a Rome appeals court and flown to Libya in an Italian government plane. Reportedly in charge of the infamous Mitiga prison in Tripoli and a senior official of Libya’s judicial police, he is suspected of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed since February 2015. According to the ICC, the crimes were committed against detainees for “religious reasons”, “immoral behaviour”, and their alleged support or affiliation with other armed groups. Many of those imprisoned at Mitiga are migrants and refugees, though there is no mention of these groups in the ICC arrest warrant. At least 5,140 persons were imprisoned in Mitiga from February 2015 to October 2024, “in violation of fundamental rules of international law”. At least 8 persons were raped. The judges also found “reasonable grounds to believe that at least 34 detainees were killed in Mitiga Prison" due to torture, to a lack of adequate medical treatment, and as a result of the prison’s yard freezing temperature. Najim was arrested in Italy on January 19 after attending a football match, following an ICC arrest warrant issued the day before. Despite ICC requests, Italian authorities released him on January 21 due to "procedural irregularities" and flew him back to Libya. This sparked political turmoil, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other officials under investigation for aiding his release. The case highlights Italy’s tense relationship with the ICC, its history of cooperation with Libya on migration control, and its alignment with Trump’s stance against the Court. 👉 https://www.justiceinfo.net/en/140923-rome-defies-icc.html See you on Monday for a new post. In the meantime, you can support Justice Info by sharing our articles.