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A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 15 april 2024
U.S. judge tosses out lawsuits against Libyan commander accused

of war crimes

By MATTHEW BARAKAT the eastern half of Libya, Faisal Gill, a lawyer for plain-
Associated Press with support from countries tiffs in one of the three law-
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — including Russia, Egypt and suits that Brinkema tossed
A U.S. judge has tossed the United Arab Emirates. out Friday, said he plans to
out a series of civil lawsuits He continues to hold sway appeal the dismissal.
against a Libyan military in the eastern half of the Mark Zaid, lawyer for an-
commander who used to country. other set of plaintiffs, called
live in Virginia and was ac- In the lawsuits, first filed in Brinkema’s ruling perplex-
cused of killing innocent ci- 2019, the plaintiffs say fam- ing and said he believes
vilians in that country’s civil ily members were killed by that the court’s jurisdic-
war. military bombardments tion to hear the case had
At a court hearing Friday, conducted by Hifter’s army already been established
U.S. District Judge Leonie in civilian areas. at an earlier phase of the
Brinkema said she had no The lawsuits also alleged case.
jurisdiction to preside over that Hifter and his fam- “A U.S. citizen commit-
a case alleging war crimes ily owned a significant ted war crimes abroad
committed in Libya, even Libya’s Khalifa Hifter, the commander of the self-styled Libyan amount of property in Vir- and thus far has escaped
though the defendant, National Army, is seen at the International Defense Exhibition ginia, which could have civil accountability,” Zaid
Khalifa Hifter, has U.S. citi- and Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, been used to pay off any said Sunday in an emailed
zenship and lived for more Feb. 20, 2023. judgment that would have statement.
than 20 years in the north- Associated Press been entered against him. In court papers, Hifter tried
ern Virginia suburbs of the try over the last decade. U.S. during the 1980s. He is While the lawsuits were to claim immunity from the
nation’s capital as an exile But Hifter retained new law- widely believed to have tossed out on technical is- suits as a head of state. At
from the regime of Moam- yers who persuaded the worked with the CIA during sues over jurisdiction, one one point, the judge put
mar Gadhafi. judge to reopen the case his time in exile. of Hifter’s lawyers, Paul Ka- the cases on pause be-
The ruling was a significant and made Hifter available He returned to Libya in 2011 menar, said Hifter denied cause she worried that the
reversal of fortune for Hifter. to be deposed. He sat for to support anti-Gadhafi any role in the deaths of lawsuits were being used to
In 2022, Brinkema entered two separate depositions forces that revolted against civilians. influence scheduled presi-
a default judgment against in 2022 and 2023 and de- the dictator and killed him. “He’s not this ruthless fig- dential elections in Libya,
Hifter after he refused to sit nied orchestrating attacks During the country’s civil ure that everyone wants to in which Hifter was a candi-
for scheduled depositions against civilians. war, he led the self-styled portray him as,” Kamenar date. Those elections were
about his role in the fighting Once a lieutenant to Gad- Libyan National Army, said in a phone interview later postponed.q
that has plagued the coun- hafi, Hifter defected to the which controlled much of Sunday.

Barges break loose on Ohio River in Pittsburgh, damaging a marina

and striking a bridge

PITTSBURGH (AP) — More will remain closed until our ardous materials on any of
than two dozen river barg- crews complete an inspec- the vessels, the city said.
es broke loose from their tion,” spokesperson Steve The Coast Guard put out a
moorings and floated down Cowan said. broadcast notice to mari-
the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Officials in Moon Township, ners to inform them about
striking one bridge that had which is connected by the the potential hazard, but
already been preemp- bridge to the community of high water was preventing
tively closed and damag- Sewickley, earlier said the traffic on the river, Jolley
ing a marina, officials said. span would be temporarily said.
The boats eventually were closed “due to unmanned The barges were owned
pinned to the riverbank or barge passing through.” or operated by Campbell
went over a dam down- Eleven of the 26 barges Transportation Co., the
stream, officials said. that broke free were quick- city’s statement said. Jol-
Pittsburgh police, fire and ly contained to one side by ley said Coast Guard offi-
emergency medical servic- another towing vessel just cials were working with the
es responded around 11:25 downstream, said Cmdr. owner on a salvage plan.
p.m. Friday to reports of the Justin Jolley of the Coast Pennsylvania State Police
barges “floating uncon- Guard marine safety unit A group of barges sit pinned against the Emsworth lock and and other agencies were
trolled” down the river, Pitts- in Pittsburgh. Nine others dam in Pittsburgh, on Saturday, April 13, 2024. Associated Press also alerted.
burgh Public Safety said in were collected at the Ems- The vulnerability of bridges
a statement. The area had worth lock and dam down- to strikes from barges and
been hit by flooding after stream. one barge unaccounted caution but later reopened ships came into stark relief
heavy rains Thursday. Five or six barges went for, Jolley said. following inspection. last month when a contain-
The Sewickley Bridge was through the dam. Four Pittsburgh public safety of- Twenty-three of the barges er ship rammed a support
struck by a barge a few ended up just downstream ficials reported damage to were carrying dry cargo, of the major Francis Scott
minutes before 2 p.m. Sat- at a lock and dam, while Peggy’s Harbor, a marina mostly coal, and at least Key Bridge in Baltimore, col-
urday, the Pennsylvania another ended up on the on the river. The Pittsburgh one was loaded with fertil- lapsing the span and lead-
Department of Transporta- bank of the river and was Post-Gazette reported that izer, according to the own- ing to the deaths or pre-
tion said. It “was closed in stabilized. Marine safety the McKees Rocks Bridge er, Jolley said. Three were sumptive deaths of six road
advance of the strike and units were searching for was also closed as a pre- empty. There were no haz- workers.q