Italy has freed a Libyan man suspected of crimes against humanity and war crimes, citing a technicality.
The International Criminal Court is now demanding answers over the release of Osama Elmasry Njeem, who is also suspected of murder, torture and rape.
Njeem is head of a branch of the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution in Libya’s capital, a network of detention centres run by the government-backed Special Defence Force.
The crimes he is accused of were committed against detainees of these centres over their religion, “immoral behaviour” or alleged support other armed groups, the ICC said.
Italy detained Osama Elmasry Njeem on Sunday, local time, after receiving a tip-off from the ICC, who had issued an international arrest warrant against him.
However due to a legal technicality the Italian government freed him on Tuesday, after which he was flown on an official state aircraft back to Tripoli.