The Libyan-American coalition has announced that it has filed a new lawsuit in US courts against both the head of the Wagner military group Yevgeny Prigozhin and Khalifa Haftar, on charges of committing war crimes against civilians in Libya.
The coalition has participated previously in leading a case against Haftar in front of American courts in regard to accusations of war crimes committed by Haftar in Benghazi and east Libya. The new lawsuit is focused on atrocities during Haftar’s military campaign against the capital Tripoli 2019-2020, in which the Wagner military group had an important role.
The head of the Libyan-American coalition, Essam Omeish, said to Libya AlAhrar that they will hold a press conference on Tuesday, in which the prosecution team will present the details of the lawsuit filed in the Columbia Federal Court in Washington. According to Omeish, the lawsuit includes accusations against Haftar and Wagner leader Prigozhin regarding the torture and murder of Libyan citizens, according to the authority and responsibility they have over their fighters. The lawsuit will be based on the Torture Victims Protection Law.
Following the recent dispute between Wagner’s leader and the Kremlin, security investigations carried out by Russian authorities against Prigozhin have disclosed evidence and images showcasing his direct and close relationship with Haftar’s militants. However, despite the confrontation with the Russian government last June, media reports have assured Moscow intends on preserving its collaboration with the group regarding operations overseas especially in Africa, where Wagner’s deployment and activities in Libya are central.
Source: Libya Alahrar
