US sanctions former Libyan prison official
Washington accuses Osema Najeem of serious human rights violations in two prisons.
Listen to this article
There is no audio version yet. Request one and an AI voice will read the article aloud.
Read by an AI voice.
The United States has placed former Libyan police official Osema Almasri Habeesh Najeem and his wife on a sanctions list. Washington accuses Najeem of involvement in torture and other serious abuses in Libyan detention centres.
The US State Department announced the designation on Friday under a US human rights provision. The measure may affect the designated individuals’ access to the United States and their financial and business contacts.
According to the US announcement, it concerns alleged involvement in serious human rights violations at the Mitiga and al-Jadida prisons in Tripoli. The allegations include torture, forced labour and lethal violence.
The designation is a US administrative measure, not a court ruling. No response from Najeem or his wife to the allegations is known.
The move comes against the backdrop of continuing international concern about detention conditions in Libya. The AP news agency reported earlier this month that human rights organisations had documented executions and secret military trials in the country.
Libya is politically and militarily divided. Various centres of power and armed groups exert influence over parts of the country, making prosecution and oversight of detention centres complicated.
The development is relevant to Europe because Libya is a major departure route for migrants crossing the Mediterranean. Sanctions can put pressure on those responsible, but do not automatically change conditions in prisons or cooperation on migration.
Also show the region and a close-up
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The United States has designated two people under a US human rights provision.
- Washington links the measure to alleged abuses in Libyan detention centres.
- The designation is not a court conviction.
Left
Arguments Sanctions are defensible as a means of personally targeting those responsible for human rights violations, especially when local prosecution does not take place.
Values Human rights, international responsibility and the protection of detainees.
Consequences More targeted pressure on power networks, but potentially also further diplomatic tensions.
Centre
Arguments The measure should be combined with independent investigations, legal assistance and international monitoring; sanctions alone will not resolve structural detention problems.
Values The rule of law, evidence and institutional oversight.
Consequences Greater legitimacy for the measure, but a slower process and limited immediate improvement in prisons.
Right
Arguments The US should exercise restraint with extraterritorial sanctions and await demonstrable evidence and legal proceedings first, especially while cooperation with Libya remains necessary.
Values National sovereignty, legal certainty and strategic interests.
Consequences Less risk of arbitrariness, but potentially less pressure on power holders who are not prosecuted locally.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The sanction and the US allegations have been confirmed, but no full independent confirmation was found for the individual accusations. The allegations have therefore consistently been attributed to Washington, and the measure has not been described as a conviction.
- confirmed The US placed Osema Najeem and his wife on a sanctions list. — Reported in the public account of the US announcement. source
- confirmed The US accuses Najeem of abuses at Mitiga and al-Jadida. — The US accusation appears in the same announcement. source
- confirmed Human rights organisations documented broader abuses in Libya. — AP described recent reports about executions and secret trials. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: The United States accuses Najeem of torture and other serious abuses.Now: The United States says that Najeem was involved in torture and other serious abuses. (The individual accusations have not been independently established in the available sources.)
Editor's note
The US designation and the allegations are based on a public account of the US announcement. Independent sources confirm broader human rights concerns in Libya, but not every individual allegation against Najeem.Sources
- U.S. Designates Libyan Official Over Torture and Abuse — Mirage News, op basis van Amerikaanse bekendmaking
- Libya executing people based on secret trials and confessions extracted under torture, group says — AP News
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „libië verenigde staten”
- De Telegraaf — „libië verenigde staten”
- AD — „libië verenigde staten”