On 30 January, Just Security published an article by Chantal Meloni, titled ‘Italy, Libya, and the Failure of State Cooperation with the International Criminal Court in the Elmasry Arrest Case’. The article looks at the controversial release of high-ranking Libyan police officer, Osama Elmasry Njeem, who was briefly arrested under an ICC warrant for grave war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Mitiga prison in Tripoli. According to the article, by releasing Njeem, Italy violated its obligations under the Rome Statute of the ICC, which it ratified in 1999. ‘The case has dramatic consequences for the investigation in the specific situation, but also more broadly, as it affects and calls into question the entire system of cooperation between a State Party and the ICC, weakening at its core the ability of the Court to function effectively,’ the author argues.
Read the full article here.