The International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced that the trial of Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri will open on 4 May 2027 in The Hague, marking another historic step in the pursuit of accountability for crimes committed inside Libya’s detention system.
El Hishri is currently in ICC custody and faces 17 confirmed charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes arising from alleged crimes committed principally against people detained at Mitiga Prison and within the Mitiga Compound in Tripoli between 1 May 2014 and 30 June 2020.
The charges include torture, cruel treatment, imprisonment, outrages upon personal dignity and other inhumane acts; rape, attempted rape and other forms of sexual violence; murder and attempted murder; enslavement; and persecution. On 16 July 2026, Pre-Trial Chamber I unanimously confirmed all 17 charges, finding substantial grounds to believe that El Hishri bears responsibility, and committed him to trial.
According to the ICC, the alleged crimes were committed against thousands of people detained for prolonged periods while the Special Deterrence Force, commonly known as RADA/SDF, operated Mitiga Prison. El Hishri is alleged to have been one of the prison’s most senior officials and to have exercised particular authority over the section in which women and young children were detained.
The case is especially significant because it is the first case arising from the ICC’s Libya investigation to advance to trial, after more than 15 years of investigation into crimes committed in the country.
El Hishri was arrested by German authorities on 16 July 2025 pursuant to an ICC arrest warrant issued under seal on 10 July 2025. He was surrendered to the Court on 1 December 2025 and made his first appearance before ICC judges two days later. His confirmation of charges hearing was held from 19 to 21 May 2026.
The confirmation proceedings also relied significantly on the participation of victims. The Chamber acknowledged contributions from 63 people who provided witness statements, 47 of whom were former detainees.
For Refugees in Libya, this case is very important for the communities we represent. Mitiga forms part of the wider system of arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, forced labour and other abuses that survivors, refugees and migrants in Libya have documented and endured for years.
The opening of the trial therefore represents much more and will likely open up chances for wider public scrutiny. It represents the moment when allegations that survivors carried for years will finally enter a full trial before international judges. It is also a reminder that justice delayed must not become justice denied.
Between now and 4 May 2027, Refugees in Libya will continue working with survivors, victims, legal representatives, civil society organisations and solidarity movements to ensure that affected communities are able to follow and engage with the proceedings safely and meaningfully.
Picture: Refugees in Libya
5 years Refugees in Libya
On 1 October 2026, it was exactly five years since this self-organisation emerged from an extraordinary cycle of struggle by refugees and migrants in Tripoli following brutal mass raids and evictions carried out by Libyan interior ministry and militias in October 2021. Refugees in Libya reorganised itself also in Europe from 2022 onwards, after some of its members had managed to flee Libya. Now – in 2026/2027 – this transnational group has played a key role in achieving a legal milestone. Following a preliminary hearing in May 2026, the International Criminal Court in The Hague confirmed in July all 17 charges against the Libyan torturer El-Hishri for crimes against humanity. As a result, he is expected to stand trial from 4th of May 2027 on. The coming campaign leading up to this trial will focus not least on the EU’s central responsibility for the torture camps in Libya.
Mitiga Campaign in the Event in Berlin
At a successful and well-attended event on 3 October 2026 in Berlin, the selforganisation demonstrated once again that it has developed into a key voice for the rights of ‘People on the Move’.
Furthermore, the ‘Mitiga Campaign’ – named after the detention centre in Libya that will be at the centre of the trial against the torturer El Hishri – has the potential to spark a transnational mobilisation to expose the ongoing EU pushback policy.
It will be important that in as many cities as possible all over Europe decentralized information- and mobilisation-events will take place within the next months. These events should provide the base for a strong centralized mobilisation to Brussels on Saturday, 8th of May 2027, and to bring the opening accusations from the ICC directly to the EU-institutions, where it belongs to.
