The defense for former Deterrence Forces leader Khaled El Hishri, who is on trial before the International Criminal Court, said that the prosecution had failed to prove a link between the crimes attributed to his client and any armed conflict.

During Wednesday’s court session, it denied that their client had committed crimes of enslavement or persecution on political grounds, noting that El Hishri was accustomed to traveling and may have been abroad during the period in which he is alleged to have committed the crimes—a span of six years and two months between 2014 and 2020.

Concealment of the identities of some witnesses

It added that some witnesses had been excluded and that the defense had been informed of the identities of only 25 witnesses, while the identities of six others had been concealed, deeming this unacceptable and unfair, especially since one-third of the witnesses are anonymous.

The defense attorney explained that he may prove to the court strong and relevant arguments of absence for the defendant during the period in which the charges were committed, leading to the conclusion that for at least some of the charges, there is insufficient evidence that the defendant committed them.

The defense also criticized what it called “secret proceedings” regarding the identities of his client’s accusers, noting that the proceedings to establish the charges are not the same as the proceedings to try the defendant.