A former Libyan prison boss dubbed the "Angel of Death" will stand trial at the International Criminal Court for 17 counts of crimes including murder, rape, and torture after judges confirmed the charges Thursday.
ICC prosecutors believe Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, 48, was a "notorious torturer" at Mitiga prison near Tripoli, responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed between February 2015 and early 2020.
At hearings in May, ICC deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan quoted one witness saying El-Hishri was "amongst the worst instigators of violence" and another saying he was nicknamed "the Angel of Death".
"One of his preferred torture methods, as described by witnesses, was to shoot people, especially in the leg and knee," alleged Khan.
"He would also hang people with their hands bound behind their backs and beat people with a shovel."
The suspect personally raped, murdered, and tortured prisoners as an "example" to other guards, said the prosecutor.
His defence lawyer, Yasser Mohamed Ahmed Hassan, told judges during the May hearings that his client denied the allegations and questioned the court's jurisdiction to try the case.
But ICC judges quashed this challenge on Wednesday, paving the way for the charges to be officially confirmed.
In a statement issued after judges confirmed the charges, Khan called for a trial to take place quickly.
She noted that the trial for El-Hishri would be the first to stem from the UN-mandated investigation into Libya, which began in 2011. No date has yet been set.
"It brings us a step closer to delivering justice for thousands of victims who were unlawfully arrested, detained and subjected to severe suffering in Mitiga Prison," she said.
Libya is still grappling with the aftermath of the armed conflict and political chaos which followed the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
The oil-rich country remains divided between a UN-recognised government in the west and its eastern rival, backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.
The ICC tries individuals for the world's worst crimes, including war crimes and crimes against humanity.
