Libya’s Attorney General has ordered the detention of a senior figure from the “Kaniyat” militia, accusing him of killing 12 people from the city of Tarhuna.
According to a statement posted by the Attorney General’s Office on Facebook, the investigation authority has also detained another key member of the militia, which controlled Tarhuna until 2020.
The arrest follows an investigation into reports by the Deterrence Apparatus, revealing the involvement of the accused in human rights abuses. The suspect confessed to committing 12 murders after joining the group in 2016.
Consequently, the prosecutor ordered his detention pending further investigation.
On Friday, the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber issued six arrest warrants for individuals linked to crimes committed in Tarhunah, Libya, during the period of Al Kaniyat militia control.
The suspects include Abdulrahim Al-Kani, Makhlouf Douma, Mohamed Al-Saleheen, Nasser Muftah Dou, Fathi Al-Zankal, and Abdulbari Al-Shuqaqi. These warrants, initially sealed, were made public following a decision by the court today.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan stated that three of the suspects were prominent members of the Al Kaniyat militia, which ruled Tarhunah from 2015 to June 2020, while the remaining three were tied to the Libyan security sector and involved in crimes committed under the militia’s regime.
Since June 2020, hundreds of bodies have been recovered from mass graves in and around Tarhunah, believed to be victims of Al Kaniyat’s atrocities.
The crimes include murder, torture, sexual violence, and other war crimes. Khan emphasised that this unsealing of the warrants is a significant step towards justice, fulfilling the mandate of UN Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011).
The prosecutor commended the bravery of Libyan forensic teams and victims’ families who contributed to the investigation, expressing the ICC’s continued focus on Libya.
He reaffirmed the ICC’s cooperation with Libyan authorities to bring the suspects to trial.
