Italian judges are investigating Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her government ministers for repatriating a Libyan army officer accused by The Hague for crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Meloni used social media late Tuesday to announce the probe against herself and two cabinet ministers.
She described the investigation as political “blackmail” and framed it as the latest onslaught by overzealous judges.
The investigation looks into whether Ossama Anjiem, a Libyan warlord better known as Ossama al-Masri, was illegally released by Meloni and her government.
Meloni’s government, like others before it, has made contentious agreements with Libya to prevent migrants from reaching Italian shores, so it’s a delicate issue.
Al-Masri was arrested in Turin on January 19 after the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest request on January 18.
He used a fake Turkish driver’s license and identification card to travel to Germany, Belgium, and Great Britain.
However, Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordio refused to approve the ICC arrest warrant, rendering it void, and al-Masri was freed on January 21.
After that, al-Masri was taken to Tripoli on a military aircraft, where he was met by applauding admirers.
Italian political parties and human rights organisations condemned the warlord’s release.
Al-Masri was returned to Tripoli, according to Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, because he posed a threat to “state security.”
Nordio, Piantedosi and Alfredo Mantovano, an undersecretary to the prime minister, also were under investigation.
ICC prosecutors said al-Masri runs the notorious Mitiga prison in Tripoli where thousands of people languish in dreadful conditions.
Prosecutors charged al-Masri with crimes against humanity and war crimes, which included murder, torture, rape, and sexual brutality.
Prosecutors stated the victims included minors and those persecuted by Libyan authorities, such as Christians, atheists, and homosexuals. The prison also reportedly houses members of armed groups hostile to al-Masri’s faction, including the government-backed Special Defence Force.
Libya has been torn apart by civil strife since the removal and assassination of longstanding Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
The ICC said it sent an alert through Interpol to arrest al-Masri and gave European authorities real-time information about his possible whereabouts and movement.
The ICC said Italy, as a signatory to the Rome Statute, was under an obligation to hand al-Masri over for prosecution. But Italy released al-Masri “without prior notice or consultation” with the court, the ICC said.
Despite the opening of the investigation, it remained highly unlikely that Meloni and her ministers would face prosecution.
Magistrates have 90 days to carry out an investigation and can either dismiss the case or refer it to parliamentary committees for authorisation to prosecute.
In a fiery defence, Meloni said she “will not be blackmailed” and “will not be intimidated over an investigation.” She also cast the investigation as part of a ploy by magistrates and political enemies to hurt her politically.
In recent months, Meloni’s far-right government has accused magistrates of playing politics by blocking plans to ship migrants picked up in the Mediterranean Sea to centres in Albania. This week, Italy resumed sending migrants to Albania, a move that may be blocked again by the courts.
Opposition leaders, meanwhile, are demanding answers from Meloni and her ministers about why al-Masri was allowed to return to Libya.
