International court drops case against slain Libyan general

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Worldwide Criminal Court docket on Wednesday dropped its war crimes case versus a Libyan typical right after prosecutors verified he was dead.

The final decision came additional than a yr immediately after Libyan officers documented that assailants killed Mahmoud al-Werfalli, a commander in the self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces, by opening fire on his car or truck in the japanese city of Benghazi.

The court docket claimed judges terminated proceedings versus Al-Werfalli immediately after finding out evidence that provided witness statements, images and social media posts.

The judges “considered the dying of Mr. Al-Werfalli to be recognized and, decided that the proceedings versus him must accordingly be terminated, and that the warrants of arrest are no lengthier in result,” a courtroom statement mentioned.

Al-Werfalli was preferred by the ICC for his alleged function in executing or purchasing the executions of 33 captives in Benghazi in 2016 and 2017. The ICC suggests the killings were being filmed and posted on social media. In 2018, he allegedly shot 10 men and women lifeless in entrance of a mosque in Benghazi.

Libya descended into chaos in 2011 and has become a haven for Islamic militants and armed teams. The identical year, the U.N. Security Council asked the courtroom in The Hague to examine violence sparked by the 2011 rebellion that led to the ouster and demise of Libya’s longtime dictator, Moammar Gadhafi.

Human legal rights activists previous year despatched evidence to the ICC and identified as for an investigation into abuses of migrants in Libya that they mentioned “may quantity to crimes from humanity.”