Italy defends expulsion of Libyan war crimes suspect

Italy's Interior Minister stated that a Libyan man, who was detained under an international war crimes arrest warrant but then unexpectedly released, was quickly repatriated due to his "social dangerousness." The man, named Osama Elmasry Njeem, also known as Osama Almasri Njeem, was arrested in Turin on Sunday under a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, which alleges he committed crimes in Libya, including murder, torture, and rape.

However, due to legal technicalities, he was released on Tuesday and flown back to Tripoli on an Italian state aircraft. The ICC has demanded an explanation, stating that the right-wing government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni did not consult with them beforehand. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi faced sharp questioning from opposition lawmakers during a Senate session on Thursday.

Piantedosi stated, "Following the invalidation of the arrest, considering the social dangerousness exhibited by this Libyan citizen, I issued an expulsion order for reasons of national security." Some senators expressed disappointment that Italy disregarded its obligation to hand over the suspect to the court and renewed calls for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to respond to lawmakers' questions in a public session.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani downplayed the ICC's objections, telling reporters that the court "is not the will of God, nor is it the source of all truth." He also added, "Italy is a sovereign nation, and we make our own decisions." Njeem's arrest and release occurred about a week after Rome and Tripoli resumed direct flights between their capitals after a ten-year hiatus.

The ICC stated that Njeem, a brigadier general in the Libyan judicial police, is suspected of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes at the Mitiga detention center in Tripoli. Meloni's government has largely relied on Libyan security forces to prevent potential migrants from leaving the North African country and heading to southern Italy. Rome has an agreement with the North African nation, dating back to 2017 and renewed under Meloni's government, to fund and train the Libyan coast guard.

Piantedosi told lawmakers during the Senate questioning session that the Rome Court of Appeals ordered Njeem's release because they deemed his arrest to be procedurally flawed. The ICC stated that the crimes listed in the arrest warrant were "committed by Mr. Njeem personally, by his orders, or with his assistance, by members of the Special Deterrence Force."

The opposition stated that Piantedosi's explanations were insufficient and called for Meloni to come to parliament to clarify. Senator Giuseppe De Cristofaro of the Green-Left Alliance said, "You are plunging our country into utter shame. You talk about technicalities, but you have made a clear political choice."