US bars former Libyan prison chief and wife over detainee torture
The United States has barred a former Libyan prison official and his wife from entering the country over the torture of detainees. On Friday, 30 October, the US State Department designated former Libyan Judicial Police official Osema Almasri Habeesh Najeem and his wife, Aml Faraj Mohamed Makhluf, under Section 7031(c) of the US appropriations law, which lets Washington name foreign officials involved in gross human rights violations.
Announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department said Najeem was involved in the torture and cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of detainees in the Mitiga and al Jadida prisons. It also accused him of murder, forced labour and targeting Christians and other minority groups, calling him “a danger to the people of Libya and the United States”.
The designation means Najeem and his family members are ineligible for entry to the United States. It is an entry ban, not a US criminal conviction, and no asset freeze was announced.
Najeem — also spelled Osama Elmasry Njeem in court records — has faced international accusations before. The International Criminal Court has accused him of murder and torture, including rape, of detainees at Mitiga Prison in Tripoli from February 2015 onwards. Italy arrested him in January 2025 on the court’s warrant, then released him and sent him back to Libya. He was detained in Libya in November 2025.
Why it matters
Mitiga, a prison inside a military base at Tripoli’s airport, is one of Libya’s most notorious detention sites, with the United Nations documenting torture and unlawful killings there over many years. The US action is a rare public naming of a senior figure from Libya’s detention system.
His case has already caused a diplomatic row: his arrest in Italy and swift release in January 2025 angered the International Criminal Court and human rights groups, who said Italy had failed to hand over a wanted suspect.
What happens next
The ban takes effect immediately, though it is largely symbolic while Najeem remains detained in Libya. The question now is whether Libyan prosecutors or the International Criminal Court will move his case forward.
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
Sources
- https://ly.usembassy.gov/designation-of-libyan-judicial-police-official-for-involvement-in-torture-and-cruel-inhumane-and-degrading-treatment/ (U.S. Embassy Libya / US State Department, 30 October 2026)
- https://azeritimes.com/us-sanctions-former-libyan-official-and-wife-over-detainee-torture/ (Azeri Times, 30 October 2026)
