...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all..., have filed a formal complaint with the French Prosecutor General's Office, according to the President of
Democracy and Human Rights Foundation, Emadeddin Zahri Muntasser.
According to Muntasser, the complaint detailed crimes perpetrated by Haftar, including the torture and murder of Libyan civilians in Benghazi and its surrounding.
"French law No. 2010-930 permits the filing of such complaints even if the accused were not a French citizen." Muntasser remarked.
Worth mentioning is that Haftar was recently in Gay Paree for medical treatment.
According to Muntasser, the complaint was filed on behalf of Mr. Ali Hamza and other victims whose family members were starved, tortured, and killed by warlord Haftar.
"French law allows the Prosecutor General ninety days to consider opening an investigation of such crimes. If the Prosecutor General fails to investigate, the victims are permitted to directly file with an investigative judge and request an independent investigation." Muntasser explains.
He also stressed that he wanted to remind the supporters of Khalifa Haftar that International law and the Rome Statute criminalize aiding and abetting war criminals.
"Those who provide material or moral assistance to perpetrators of war crimes and genocide are held personally accountable regardless of military rank or political office." He remarked.
He also made clear that the new filing in La Belle France complements other filings in the United States and International Criminal Court (ICC).
Muntasser said that the complaints aim to bring to justice "a killer whose crimes spanned almost fifty years and inflicted death, pain, and suffering on countless victims in Chad and in Libya."