Ali and Salimah Are Suing The Libyan Warlord Whose Forces Killed Their Families.
The Case
Ali Hamza and Salimah Jibreel (as well as countless other victims) have been victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity carried out by the Libyan National Army headed by the ‘warlord’ Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar.
Hamza’s mother, two brothers and two sisters have all been murdered. Jibreel has suffered a similar ordeal, with three minor children murdered, the youngest of which was three years old, and her husband detained incommunicado.
All of this was perpetrated by the LNA led by Haftar, described by commentators as a ‘warlord’ and ‘rogue commander’. Haftar is the man reported to be behind countless contraventions of international law in a civil war that has gripped Libya since the Libyan Revolution in 2011, including torture, kidnapping and solitary confinement.
With its justice system in collapse, the victims of the LNA are unable to pursue justice for their loss and suffering in Libya. Haftar is a US citizen and resident of Virginia and so some of these victims, including Hamza and Jibreel, have brought legal proceedings against him in the US District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia where they are now seeking just reparations.
The case is being led by National Security and Human Rights lawyer Mark Zaid, Virginian Counsel Tom Craig and International Human Rights lawyer Matthew Jury, and if successful, Haftar will finally be held accountable to those who have lost everything because of his actions.
If you can support this case, please donate here.
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20 September 2021
Haftar Fails to Attend a Deposition
Libyan Warlord, Khalifa Haftar, was scheduled to attend a deposition as part of this litigation before the US District Court of Virginia. However, at the last minute, his lawyers informed the victims that that he was refusing do so. This session would have been the first time Haftar faced direct questioning on the atrocities carried out by his armed forces during the Libyan civil war.
His failure to attend is the latest in a long line of attempts to evade justice. Earlier this year, Haftar unsuccessfully sought to claim, for the second time, that he was entitled to immunity as Libya’s head of state and he is now claiming, without providing evidence, that appearing at this deposition could lead to him committing a capital offence in Libya.
We will continue to pursue Haftar through these court proceedings to ensure he cannot evade justice without answering for his actions.
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August 2021
Parties to Undergo Process of Discovery
In August of this year, it was ordered by the Court that the process of discovery be embarked upon by all parties which will reveal further details about the actions of Haftar and the LNA. As such deadlines have been given for expert reports to be filed, depositions to be conducted and the process of discovery to be concluded. Given that the Judge in this case has previously emphasized to Haftar that she will not accept any excuses for his lack of response or engagement in these proceedings due to him being in Libya, we expect a trial to be held early next year.
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| Name | Donate Amount | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Emadeddin Muntasser | $5,000 | November 29, 2021 |
| Anonymous | $25 | October 12, 2021 |
| AlHassan AlJafari | $500 | October 08, 2021 |
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| Anonymous | $50 | December 01, 2020 |
