Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister
Antonio Tajani said Italy was a sovereign State and was free to
make its own decisions in its territory after the International
Criminal Court (ICC) asked Rome to explain the release of Libyan
police chief Njeem Osama Almasri Habish.
Almasri is wanted on war crimes charges by The Hague-based ICC
and was detained in Turin at the weekend but he was freed and
flown back to Libya Tuesday after an apparent technical issue
with his case.
"The Hague is not the Gospel. It's not the Mouth of Truth,"
Tajani told reporters.
"It's possible to have different opinions.
"Italy is not in check by anyone. We are a sovereign country and
we carry out our policy".
Almasri Habish, the director of Tripoli's Mitiga detention
centre, was arrested on an ICC warrant regarding, in particular,
the alleged abuse of migrants at the detention centre where
human rights' groups say people are arbitrarily held, tortured
and raped.
The Libyan judicial police commander faced a potential life term
over "war crimes and crimes against humanity", according to
judicial sources.
The Hague-based court issued a statement reminding Italy that it
is obliged to "cooperate fully" with its prosecutions and said
it was still awaiting information about Rome's actions.
Italy's opposition factions have accused the government of
having freed a "torturer".
Former Premier Matteo Renzi, now head of the Italia Viva party,
accused the right-wing government of hypocrisy given its
repeated claims of cracking down on human traffickers.
"But when a trafficker whom the International Criminal Court
tells us is a dangerous criminal lands on your table, it's not
like you chase him down. You brought him home to Libya with a
plane of the Italian secret services," he said.
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