Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni says she is being investigated for repatriating a Libyan warlord

MILAN — Rome prosecutors have opened an investigation against Premier Giorgia Meloni and two government ministers for repatriating a Libyan warlord wanted by the International Criminal Court in the Hague, the premier announced Tuesday. Meloni complained in the social media post that the warrant was issued upon his arrival in Italy “after having stayed for around 12 days in three other European countries.” She said the international arrest warrant had not been transmitted to the Justice Ministry as required by law “and for this reason the Appeals Court in Rome decided not to confirm the arrest.” “At this point, this subject was free in Italian territory, and rather than letting him free, we decided to expel and repatriate him immediately for security reasons with a flight, as happens in other similar cases,’’ Meloni said. He told the Senate last week that he expelled al-Masri “for urgent security reasons, with my expulsion order, in view of the danger posed by the subject.” The ICC warrant accused al-Masri of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Mitiga prison in Libya starting in 2015 that are punishable with life in prison. Recently, the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor issued arrest warrants over alleged crimes in Libya beyond the civil war, including in detention facilities where human rights groups have documented abuses.