For three days, the Khalid el-Hishri case takes center stage. The Libyan militiaman, formerly the head of Mitiga’s women’s ward, must answer for crimes against humanity and war crimes for rapes, sexual violence, persecutions, and torture committed between 2014 and 2020 in Libya.
The prosecutor had to persuade the judges to send the suspect to trial. It was the defense that spoke last.
The lawyers challenged the case on both legal and factual grounds. The Court is not competent, they argued. And the crimes described by the prosecution are not crimes against humanity. One of his lawyers, Yasser Hassan, asserted that the suspect did not play a decisive role at the time of the alleged acts.
“Khalid el-Hishri has never been part of any structure of the Libyan security apparatus. He is not an important member of any group. And nothing proves the contrary,” the lawyer said. “Therefore, we cannot take the testimonies as gospel as long as they are not contested or verified. Indeed, some witnesses may have received enrichment promises without consideration, as has happened before in international courts. You will later find that some witnesses testifying against Khaled Ael-Hishri are members of the Islamic State.”
The judges began their deliberations shortly after the final pleadings. They have 60 days to decide whether to indict Khalid al-Hishri and refer him to trial.
