CAIRO (AP) Libyan authorities released one of the countrys most wanted human traffickers less than four months after his arrest in the capital, Tripoli, security officials said Monday.
Abdel-Rahman Milad, who was sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council, walked free Sunday, following a decision by prosecutors late last month, they said.
Milad, who better known as Bija, was seen after his release in his hometown of Zawiya in western Libya, where he had commanded a Coast Guard unit.
The officials did not reveal more details. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
A spokesman for the countrys interior ministry declined to comment.
While in detention, the former U.N.-supported government in Tripoli in March promoted him along with others for their participation in the fighting to repel an attack on the capital by eastern Libya forces, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.
When arrested in December, the interior ministry said Milad was wanted on charges of human trafficking and smuggling of fuel.
His release was not unexpected, said Hussein Baoumi, Libya and Egypt researcher at Amnesty International right group. The Libyan authorities have failed to demonstrate that they are conducting an effective and transparent investigation with a view of referring him to a fair trial.
Baoumi has urged Libyas newly appointed interim government to ensure that Milad and others, believed to be crimes and abuses against refugees and migrants, face justice.
Libya has been plagued by corruption and turmoil since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Since then, the oil-rich country has emerged as a major conduit for people from Africa and the Middle East fleeing wars and poverty and hoping to reach Europe.
In June 2018, the Security Council imposed sanctions on Milad and five other leaders of criminal networks engaged in trafficking people and migrants from Libya. At the time, Milad was described as the head of the Coast Guard unit in Zawiya that is consistently linked with violence against migrants and other human smugglers.
U.N. experts monitoring sanctions claimed Milad and other Coast Guard members are directly involved in the sinking of migrant boats using firearms. Milad denied any links to human smuggling and said traffickers wear uniforms similar to those of his men.
Over the past two years, he moved freely in western Libya, and fought alongside Tripoli-allied militias to repel military commander Khalifa Hifters attack on the capital.