Davide Chiglioni

The request to the Prosecutor General to the Court of Appeal

The Justice Minister, Carlo Nordio, said the ICC warrant was filled with inaccuracies, omissions and discrepancies. Addressed in Parliament, he described the document as a huge, hasty mess, adding that the court had later issued a corrected version.

The interior minister, Matteo Piantedosi, who spoke after him, said Osama Najim was expelled from Italy after being set free because he was viewed as dangerous. Opposition MPs dismissed both explanations and urged Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to personally clarify the government's decision.

The leader of the Democratic Party, Elish Line, accused the government of damaging Italy's international standing by freeing someone she called a Libyan torturer. Despite procedural flaws being cited as the official reason for sending Najib back to Libya, observers suggest the decision may have been influenced by Rome's complex relationship with Tripoli.

In addition to paying the Libyan coast guard to stop migrant boats, Italy has substantial political and business interests in the country, giving Libya considerable leverage.

The conditions of migrants in Libyan detention centres, extensively covered by the BBC over the years, have long been a source of concern for human rights groups, which report widespread torture, rape and other forms of abuse.

David Iambio, a 27-year-old from South Sudan who says he was abused in Tripoli's Mitiga prison by Najimy himself and is now an activist for migrant rights, has accused Italy of being complicit in the atrocities taking place in Libya.