Amesys

Type of liability
Personnes physiques et morales

Alleged perpetrator(s)
Amesys (Nexa Technologies)

Nationality of alleged perpetrator(s)
French

Legal classification of crime(s)
Complicity in torture and acts of barbarity

Source of the complaint
NGO
Victim"

Ongoing proceedings
oui

Regime
2 - 689-1 CPP

Summary of facts

The company Amesys is accused of having sold cyber-surveillance equipment to the Libyan government in 2007 for the purpose of intercepting and analyzing communications.

This technology allegedly enabled the regime of Muammar Gaddafi (1969-2011) to identify, arrest and torture journalists, human rights activists or any opponent of the regime.

Amnesty International France recalls that everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law.

Legal proceedings

“October 19, 2011: FIDH and LDH filed a complaint with civil party application on charges of “complicity in torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. 
December 16, 2011: FIDH requested that the newly created specialized unit for crimes against humanity, war crimes and war offenses within the Paris High Court be seized to investigate this case. 
March 26, 2012: the Public Prosecutor’s Office filed submissions against opening an investigation and, in the alternative, for the inadmissibility of the complaint with civil party application. 
May 23, 2012: the investigating judge issued an order finding grounds to open an investigation. 
May 29, 2012: the Public Prosecutor’s Office appealed. 
January 15, 2013: the Investigating Chamber upheld the order and gave the green light to the opening of the judicial investigation. 
Between 2013 and 2015: six Libyan victims joined as civil parties. 
In March 2016: new evidence from documents of Gaddafi’s security services was submitted, showing extensive use of Amesys technologies to track, arrest and torture political opponents. 
May 30, 2017: Amesys was given the status of assisted witness. 
In June and July 2021: Amesys was indicted for “complicity in acts of torture”, as were two executives and two employees of the company. 
In December 2021 and January 2022: the company and the employees appealed their indictments. 
November 21, 2022: the Paris Court of Appeal upheld the indictments of the company and two of its executives and annulled the indictments of two of its employees. An appeal was lodged with the Court of Cassation. 
In 2023: the investigating judges refused to carry out several investigative measures requested by the defense and the prosecutor, considering that these measures were not necessary for the investigation. The defense and the prosecutor appealed this decision. The Paris Court of Appeal partially overturned this decision and ordered the investigating judges to carry out some of the requested investigative measures. 
September 18, 2025: a closing order was issued, bringing the judicial investigation to an end.