Italy’s lower house of parliament has rejected a court request to prosecute three senior government officials over the controversial release of Libyan general Osama Najim Almasri, who is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
According to the ANSA news agency, the Chamber of Deputies voted by a more than two-to-one margin to deny the Rome Tribunal of Ministers’ request to proceed against Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, and Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano.
The case stems from the arrest of Almasri in Turin on 19 January under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant. He was accused of torture, rape, and murder linked to his role as head of Libya’s judicial police and the management of detention centres in Tripoli. However, just two days later, a Rome appeals court ordered his release on a procedural technicality, after Nordio failed to respond to a judicial request to confirm the arrest.
Following his release, Almasri was flown back to Tripoli aboard a state aircraft, sparking international outrage. Italian prosecutors alleged that the officials acted out of fear of reprisals against Italian citizens and interests in Libya if Almasri were handed over to the ICC.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose case in the matter was previously dropped, defended her ministers, calling the court’s request “absurd” and insisting that the government acted collectively in Italy’s national interest. Her Brothers of Italy (FdI) party also stated that the ministers acted responsibly to protect national security.
In Libya, Almasri has since been removed from his post and replaced by General Suleiman Ajaj. The decision reportedly followed efforts by General Abdul Fattah Dubub to reorganise the judicial police and restore the institution’s credibility after the war crimes scandal.
