Libyan militia chief, Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, who has been accused by Amnesty International of war crimes torture, and abductions has been seen in Italy.
As explained by Times of Malta, al-Kikli was able to travel to Italy using a Schengen visa issued by Maltese authorities, raising concerns among organisations and activists, Schengen.News reports.
The presence of al-Kikli in Italy was proved by a number of local media, with them showing a photo of him in a hospital visiting Libya’s Minister of State Adel Jumaa. It is believed that his main purpose of travelling to Italy was to visit Jumaa, but it is yet to be revealed whether he has left the Schengen Area.
Raising an alert about the matter, Libyan activist Husam El Gomati claimed on his X account that al-Kikli was reportedly wanted by the International Criminal Court. The same condemned the Meloni government for not holding those wanted by the court accountable.
Abdul Ghani Al-Kikli is reportedly on the ICC wanted list, according to some sources. He is also notoriously mentioned in multiple reports by the UN Panel of Experts and human rights organisations like Amnesty International for his involvement in severe human rights violations.
Despite El Gomati making such a claim, Italian media have disputed that al-Kikli is on the ICC wanted list. ANSA sources also cleared the air, saying that al-Kikli is not wanted by the ICC and stressed that there are no measures carried out against him.
Al-Kikli’s Schengen Visa Application Was Assessed & Processed Thoroughly, Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Said
Addressing the concerns, a foreign affairs ministry spokesperson said that the Schengen visa application of al-Kikli was assessed and processed thoroughly by the consulate of Malta in Tripoli.
The spokesperson further noted that the processing of his visa application was made with the support of the police authorities.
In addition to the above-mentioned, the spokesperson revealed that al-Kikli’s Schengen visa application was processed in November 2023 in line with the procedures in place that all the other Schengen member states follow.
It also highlighted that consultation with other member states took place and added that no issues were registered during the processing.
On the other hand, the spokesperson did not reveal the validity period of the visa granted to al-Kikli.
Back in 2022, Amnesty International called for measures to be taken against al-Kikli by writing to the Libyan authorities.
According to Amnesty International, for more than a decade, militias under al-Kikli’s command have terrorised people in the Tripoli neighbourhood of Abu Salim through torture, unlawful killings and other crimes under international law.