Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, 47, is standing before the International Criminal Court in The Hague for a three-day hearing starting May 19, 2026, to determine if charges will be confirmed and proceed to trial [1, 2, 3, 4]. He is accused of 17 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, persecution, and enslavement, committed while overseeing the women’s wing of Mitiga prison in Libya from February 2015 to early 2020 [1, 2, 3, 4].
El Hishri, nicknamed "the Angel of Death" by detainees, was known as a notorious torturer who personally abused inmates. ICC deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan said, "Khaled (Mohamed Ali) Al Hishri was widely known as a notorious torturer at the helm of Mitiga prison" and described the abuses as systematic rather than isolated [1, 2]. Khan detailed some of El Hishri’s methods: "One of his preferred torture methods, as described by witnesses, was to shoot people, especially in the leg and knee. He would also hang people with their hands bound behind their backs and beat people with a shovel" [2].
Prosecutors say Mitiga prison was overcrowded and conditions included systematic abuse, torture, and even "weaponisation" of disease against detainees [2, 3]. El Hishri allegedly directly committed murder, rape, and enslavement against prisoners [1, 4].
El Hishri was arrested in Germany in July 2025 and transferred to the ICC [1, 4]. His lawyers have challenged the ICC’s jurisdiction and denied the charges [1, 4]. The ICC has been investigating war crimes in Libya since 2011 after a United Nations Security Council referral [1, 4].
The ICC hearing will run from May 19 to May 21. Judges are expected to decide within 60 days after the hearing whether to confirm the charges and move forward with a full trial [2, 4].
