Italy Criticism of Meloni government after release of Libyan man
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government is facing criticism from the opposition and human rights groups following the release of the head of the Libyan criminal investigation department from Italian custody. Osama Najeem had been wanted on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes.
22.01.2025, 21:56
SDA
At the weekend, Italian police arrested the Libyan, who is also the head of a detention center in the Libyan capital Tripoli, in Turin following a tip-off from Interpol. After a few days in custody, however, Najeem was released again due to a "legal technicality". According to media reports, he has already flown back to Tripoli.
Released due to a "legal technicality"
According to the Italian news agency Ansa, the authorities are citing the "legal technicality" because the police who arrested Najeem did not immediately inform the Ministry of Justice in Rome of Najeem's detention, as required.
His arrest was initially welcomed by human rights groups. According to them, people are being held under cruel conditions in the detention center run by Najeem. The ICC's arrest warrant therefore relates to crimes against humanity that are alleged to have been committed there.
Italy maintains close relations with the Libyan government. Time and again, the country's coast guard takes migrants who attempt to cross the Mediterranean to Europe on board and brings them back to Libya. Rome observes this with benevolence. The actions of the coast guard prevent many people from continuing their journey and arriving on Italy's shores.
Sharp criticism from the opposition
Opposition MPs from several parties expressed their outrage following Najeem's release. Former head of government Matteo Renzi accused Meloni of hypocrisy due to her stated aim of combating human traffickers: "If a human trafficker arrives who the International Criminal Court tells us is a dangerous criminal, then you don't hunt him down, you let him fly home on a state plane."
Human rights groups also sharply criticized the release. Mediterranea Saving Humans described the move as "shameful protection" granted by the right-wing government in Rome to a "human trafficker and torturer". Meloni and her government initially provided no information on the case.
World Criminal Court was not informed
The International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, reminded Italy of its duty to cooperate fully with the court in its investigations and prosecutions. Italy is a state party to the court.
According to Italy, the court had not been consulted in advance about the release of the wanted man. So far, Italy has also not informed the court of its decision. Najeem has been wanted by the court for serious war crimes and crimes against humanity in Libya since 2015.
