International court drops case against slain Libyan general

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Global Criminal Courtroom on Wednesday dropped its war crimes case in opposition to a Libyan standard after prosecutors confirmed he was dead.

The final decision came additional than a year just after Libyan officers reported that assailants killed Mahmoud al-Werfalli, a commander in the self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces, by opening fire on his vehicle in the eastern city of Benghazi.

The court explained judges terminated proceedings against Al-Werfalli right after learning evidence that incorporated witness statements, images and social media posts.

The judges “considered the demise of Mr. Al-Werfalli to be set up and, decided that the proceedings against him should accordingly be terminated, and that the warrants of arrest are no longer in effect,” a courtroom statement said.

Al-Werfalli was desired by the ICC for his alleged job in executing or ordering the executions of 33 captives in Benghazi in 2016 and 2017. The ICC suggests the killings have been filmed and posted on social media. In 2018, he allegedly shot 10 folks dead in front of a mosque in Benghazi.

Libya descended into chaos in 2011 and has develop into a haven for Islamic militants and armed groups. The exact same 12 months, the U.N. Stability Council questioned the court in The Hague to look into violence sparked by the 2011 uprising that led to the ouster and loss of life of Libya’s longtime dictator, Moammar Gadhafi.

Human legal rights activists last year sent evidence to the ICC and named for an investigation into abuses of migrants in Libya that they reported “may sum to crimes towards humanity.”