The chief of Libya’s judicial police, Osama Almasri Najim, who has been accused of heinous crimes against migrants in Libyan detention centers for years, was arrested in Italy this past week──and released 2 days later under a cloud of international outrage.

Najim, was arrested on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant but released on a technicality and flown back to Libya by the Italian government.

The decision by Italian authorities has reignited concerns about the E.U.’s agreements with Libya to stem migration. Migrant rights advocates argue that it exposes a cynical calculus: Europe’s willingness to empower Libya to block migrant crossings at all costs, even if that means turning a blind eye to atrocities like modern slavery.

“a hypocritical, indecent government”

Najim had arrived in Italy as a tourist, reportedly to watch a football match and was arrested following a tip-off from Interpol.

Yet within 48 hours of his arrest, he was released after a Rome appeals court ruled there had been a procedural flaw in his detention. Najim was then flown back to Libya on a private jet organized by the Italian government. His supporters greeted him as a hero in Tripoli, with jubilant videos showing him carried on the shoulders of a cheering crowd.

Matteo Renzi, a former Italian prime minister, did not mince words, calling the episode “an image of a hypocritical, indecent government.” He added, “When a trafficker whom the ICC tells us is a dangerous criminal lands on your table, you don’t chase him down. Instead, you send him home on a plane belonging to the Italian secret services.”

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