A Canada-based Libyan has lodged with Paris prosecution a complaint against Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar for torture practices and killings, including the slain of his mother, brother and sister in Benghazi during the army commander’s offensive against radicals.
Ali Hamza lodged the complaint through his lawyer Rachel Lindon on April 26, the same day Haftar left Paris following two weeks of medical treatment in the French capital after he suffered a stroke.
The lawsuit was lodged over the possibility of an indictment following the passage of the Libyan warlord on the French territory, Lindon told media.
Hamza, according his defense, wants France to investigate Haftar for his role in the massacre and torture practices inflicted on civilians from 2016 to March 2017 in Benghazi; Libya’s second city controlled by the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA).
In his complaint, Hamza charges the LNA for the death of his mother, sister and brother, killed on March 18 by LNA forces, in their attempt to flee the city under siege. Twelve of his family members were stranded in the city.
Haftar in 2017 declared the liberation of the Libyan second city after three years of fierce battle with so-called jihadists. Human rights groups also raised concerns over torture practices and extrajudicial killings of alleged members of the Islamic State group (IS).
The LNA vowed to launch probes into alleged crimes but refused to hand over officers involved in the killings to the International Criminal Court.
Haftar enjoys international protection. The military commander who has returned to Benghazi after his medical treatment in the French capital is supported by Russia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and even France for his war on terror.
