The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday unsealed an arrest warrant for a militia officer who allegedly committed war crimes in Libya during non-international armed conflict, including murder, torture, and outrages upon personal dignity.

The UN Security Council referred the situation in Libya to the ICC in 2011 in accordance with Resolution 1970 (2011), giving the ICC jurisdiction over any crimes committed in Libya, despite the country not being party to the Rome Statute. The referral related to systematic human rights violations, war crimes, and violence against civilians, among other crimes.

The ICC initially issued its arrest warrant against the Libyan national, Saif Suleiman Sneidel, on November 10, 2020. Sneidel is said to a member of an Al-Saiqa Brigade sub-group, known as Group 50, which participated in “Operation Dignity” in Benghazi during the Second Libyan Civil War. The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber issued the warrant based on the reasonable belief that Sneidal is: “responsible for war crimes of murder, torture and outrages upon personal dignity, allegedly committed in Benghazi or surrounding areas, in Libya, on or before 3 June 2016 until on or about 17 July 2017.”

These crimes include the alleged execution of 23 people.

The Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC welcomed the decision to unseal the warrant against Sneidel. In 2020, the warrant was “under seal,” or withheld from the public, in order to “maximise arrest opportunities” and to protect any ongoing criminal investigations from being compromised. The prosecutor made a request to unseal the warrant in July 2025.

Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan commented that the decision now allows international bodies, including the UN Security Council and the international community, to discuss and cooperate towards executing Sneidal’s arrest.

In January, another suspected Libyan war criminal named Osama Elmasry Njeem was arrested in Italy following the issuance of an arrest warrant by the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in prisons. Njeem, however, was returned to Libya by Italy, a move that was criticized by the UN Security Council.

According to the ICC press release, there are eight public ICC warrants still pending. The prosecutor called on Libyan authorities to execute the warrant, pursuant to UN Resolution 1970 (2011).