A federal judge in the US state of Virginia decided on Tuesday to accept the lawsuit against retired Libyan Major General Khalifa Haftar, considering that the case contains enough data to proceed with it, and the judge rejected defense claims that Haftar enjoys immunity.
Judge Leonie Brinkema gave the Foreign Ministry a 60-day renewable period to express her opinion on the case, since Haftar's defense claims that he should enjoy immunity.
Last February, Libyan families filed a lawsuit against Haftar, accusing him of responsibility for the killing of Libyan civilians during an attack on Benghazi in 2014.
The Victims of Torture Protection Act allows survivors of these crimes to sue foreign authorities for compensation in US courts.