Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) has strongly criticised the Libyan authorities for their continued failure to implement arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), particularly in the case of Osama Najim, the former director of Mitiga Prison, who is wanted for crimes against humanity.
In a statement issued on 16 July, the human rights organisation voiced “profound concern” over what it described as a lack of political will to cooperate with international justice mechanisms. LCW warned that the Libyan judiciary remains subject to political interference, hindering any serious effort to hold perpetrators of grave violations accountable.
Osama Najim is the subject of an ICC arrest warrant issued in January 2025. He is accused of overseeing a range of severe human rights abuses at Mitiga Prison, including torture, rape, unlawful detention, and other crimes committed between 2015 and 2023. Despite the ICC’s public warrant and mounting international calls, the Libyan government has not acted to arrest or surrender him.
LCW has called on Libyan authorities to fulfil their obligations under international law and immediately surrender Najim and others wanted by the ICC. The group also urged State Parties to the Rome Statute to increase pressure on Libya through both legal and diplomatic channels to enforce the Court’s decisions.
In addition, LCW called on the ICC to reconsider its application of the “principle of complementarity”, arguing that Libya’s national judiciary has proven incapable of delivering independent or effective justice in such cases.
The group concluded that continued impunity for figures like Najim undermines prospects for justice, accountability, and long-term stability in Libya.
