Turin, 29 May (LaPresse) – The European Court of Human Rights has announced that it has notified the Italian government of two appeals against Italy concerning the case of the alleged failure to execute the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Osama Almasri, former head of the Libyan judicial police, accused of crimes against humanity. According to the European Court, the appeals were lodged by a Sudanese national and an Ivorian national, who claim to have been victims of torture and ill-treatment during their detention in prisons controlled by Almasri. The two applicants claim that Italy’s failure to execute the arrest warrant issued by the ICC against Almasri “violated their rights guaranteed by Article 2 (right to life) and Article 3 (prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment) of the European Convention on Human Rights”. Furthermore, the Ivorian national “complains of a violation of the right provided for in Article 4 (prohibition of slavery and forced labour) of the European Convention” and “further contends that the refusal to authorise criminal proceedings and the failure to execute the ICC arrest warrant have prevented her case from being brought to light and have resulted in a denial of justice”. The appeals have been communicated to the Italian Government, accompanied by questions from the Court, which has announced that it has decided “to examine the cases as a matter of priority pursuant to Article 41 of its Rules of Procedure”.
Almasri case: ECHR receives appeals against Italy over failure to arrest
Turin, 29 May (LaPresse) – The European Court of Human Rights has announced that it has notified the Italian government of two appeals against Italy concerning the case of the alleged failure to execute the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Osama Almasri, former head of the Libyan judicial police, accused of crimes against humanity. According to the European Court, the appeals were lodged by a Sudanese national and an Ivorian national, who claim to have been victims of torture and ill-treatment during their detention in prisons controlled by Almasri. The two applicants claim that Italy’s failure to execute the arrest warrant issued by the ICC against Almasri “violated their rights guaranteed by Article 2 (right to life) and Article 3 (prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment) of the European Convention on Human Rights”. Furthermore, the Ivorian national “complains of a violation of the right provided for in Article 4 (prohibition of slavery and forced labour) of the European Convention” and “further contends that the refusal to authorise criminal proceedings and the failure to execute the ICC arrest warrant have prevented her case from being brought to light and have resulted in a denial of justice”. The appeals have been communicated to the Italian Government, accompanied by questions from the Court, which has announced that it has decided “to examine the cases as a matter of priority pursuant to Article 41 of its Rules of Procedure”.
