ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — It wasn’t just the dead bear.
Days after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. admitted to taking a bear carcass from the side of the road and placing it in Central Park as a prank a decade ago, he said that has been picking up roadkill his "whole life” and once had a “freezer full of it” at home.
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Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., leaves after giving testimony at the Albany County Courthouse, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. Kennedy is fighting a lawsuit claiming he falsely claimed to live in New York as he sought to get on the ballot in the state. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, arrives at the Albany County Courthouse to fight a lawsuit he falsely claimed to live in New York state, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
A election campaign sign for Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,is seen outside the Albany County Courthouse Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, waves to a group of supporters as he arrives at the Albany County Courthouse to fight a lawsuit he falsely claimed to live in New York state, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,right, turns to look at supporters as he arrives at the Albany County Courthouse to fight a lawsuit he falsely claimed to live in New York state, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
A small group of supporters wait for Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to arrive at the Albany County Courthouse, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, waves to a group of supporters as he arrives at the Albany County Courthouse to fight a lawsuit he falsely claimed to live in New York state, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, arrives at the Albany County Courthouse to fight a lawsuit he falsely claimed to live in New York state, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
The comment came as the independent presidential candidate was leaving an upstate New York courtroom Wednesday where he had testified in a lawsuit seeking to exclude him from the state's ballot in November.
The trial has focused on whether Kennedy improperly listed a residence in the New York City suburb of Katonah as his home address on his nominating petitions, when he has actually been living in the Los Angeles area since 2014.
But the substance of the trial has been largely overshadowed in recent days by a story, unearthed by The New Yorker, that Kennedy once put a dead bear cub in his car while on a hiking trip, drove around with it for a day, then dumped it in Central Park with a group of friends when he realized he had to catch a flight.
In a video posted to social media Sunday, Kennedy told comedian Roseanne Barr that he planned to skin the bear, which was in “very good condition." He continued, saying, “I was going to put the meat in my refrigerator,” but did not specify what he intended to do with it.
Speaking to reporters in a hallway after court ended Wednesday, Kennedy was asked whether he picked up other roadkill.
“I’ve been picking up roadkill my whole life. I have a freezer full of it,” he said, eliciting laughter.
Kennedy campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear later said by text that he wasn't joking. She said that’s how Kennedy — a falconer who trains ravens — feeds his birds. She added that he no longer has the 21 cubic foot (0.59 cubic meter) refrigerator, which had been in New York's Westchester County suburbs.
On the witness stand, Kennedy was grilled for a second day about where he lives and whether he should be kept off New York's ballot in November.
He testified that his move to California a decade ago was only temporary so he could be with his wife, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actor Cheryl Hines, and that he always planned to return to New York.
Attorneys representing several New York voters have sought to demonstrate Kennedy is not a New York resident, relying on government documents and even a recent social media video in which Kennedy talks about taming ravens he feeds at his Los Angeles home.
In a testy exchange in the Albany courtroom, attorney Keith Corbett repeatedly asked Kennedy whether moving to California with his family and pets demonstrated his intention to reside in that state.
Kennedy balked at providing a “yes” or “no” answer, saying the reality was more nuanced.
“Do you want a yes or no answer, or do you want the truth?” Kennedy said.
“My intention is to return to New York and that’s the only requirement for residency,” he said.
Under questioning from his own lawyer, Kennedy said he moved to California out of love for his wife and concern for her career.
“I said I would figure out a way to make a living in California until we could move back, and that was our agreement," he said.
He said it was difficult for him to leave New York because he had built his life there.
The residence in question is a room in a home in well-to-do Katonah, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of midtown Manhattan. Kennedy testified Wednesday that he has only slept in that room once, citing his constant travel for his campaign.
Shown a photograph of the room, Kennedy acknowledged the furniture and painting in the room are not his, but he said pictures on the nightstand belong to him.
“I think one of them is a photo of me and Mick Jagger,” he said.
Kennedy's lawyer, William F. Savino, asked him why he didn’t just rent or buy a house in New York in the last 10 years. Kennedy said homeownership is time consuming and expensive.
“It snows a lot here," he said. “The pipes break, the driveway needs to be plowed and all these other burdens that are associated with home ownership.”
Kennedy, who lived in New York for years before moving to California, noted his father was similarly accused when he ran for a New York Senate seat in 1964 and won. Months before that election, his father, Robert F. Kennedy, rented a home on Long Island.
“He was also accused of not being a New Yorker,” he said.
The woman who owns the Katonah property testified Tuesday that Kennedy rents a room for $500 a month, but she acknowledged those payments began in May, a day after a New York Post story questioned the candidate’s claim that he lives in New York. Kennedy testified that he thought his assistant had been paying rent for the previous year and that he made sure payments started after the newspaper story.
The lawsuit against Kennedy is backed by Clear Choice PAC, a super PAC led by supporters of Democratic President Joe Biden. A judge is set to decide the outcome without a jury.
Kennedy’s campaign has said he has enough signatures to qualify in a majority of states, but his ballot drive has faced challenges and lawsuits in several states, including North Carolina and New Jersey.
Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., leaves after giving testimony at the Albany County Courthouse, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. Kennedy is fighting a lawsuit claiming he falsely claimed to live in New York as he sought to get on the ballot in the state. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, arrives at the Albany County Courthouse to fight a lawsuit he falsely claimed to live in New York state, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
A election campaign sign for Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,is seen outside the Albany County Courthouse Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, waves to a group of supporters as he arrives at the Albany County Courthouse to fight a lawsuit he falsely claimed to live in New York state, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,right, turns to look at supporters as he arrives at the Albany County Courthouse to fight a lawsuit he falsely claimed to live in New York state, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
A small group of supporters wait for Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to arrive at the Albany County Courthouse, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, waves to a group of supporters as he arrives at the Albany County Courthouse to fight a lawsuit he falsely claimed to live in New York state, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, arrives at the Albany County Courthouse to fight a lawsuit he falsely claimed to live in New York state, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
ROME (AP) — Human rights groups voiced outrage Wednesday after Italy released a Libyan warlord on a technicality, after he was arrested on a warrant from the International Criminal Court accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Hague-based court, for its part, issued a more diplomatic response but its anger appeared evident. In a stern statement late Wednesday, the ICC reminded Italy that it is obliged to “cooperate fully” with its prosecutions and said it was still awaiting information about what exactly Rome had done.
The reaction came after the Italian government on Tuesday released and sent back home Ossama Anjiem, also known as Ossama al-Masri, who heads the Tripoli branch of the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution, a notorious network of detention centers run by the government-backed Special Defense Force.
Al-Masri had been arrested Sunday in Turin, where he reportedly had attended the Juventus-Milan soccer match the night before. The ICC warrant, dated the day before, accused al-Masri of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Mitiga prison in Libya starting in 2015 that are punishable with life in prison.
The ICC said he was accused of murder, torture, rape and sexual violence. It said the warrant was transmitted to member states on Saturday, including Italy, and that the court had also provided real-time information that he had entered Europe.
The court said it had reminded Italy at the time to contact it “without delay” if it ran into any problems cooperating with the warrant.
But Rome’s court of appeals ordered al-Masri freed Tuesday, and he was sent back to Libya aboard an aircraft of the Italian secret services, because of what the appeals court said was a procedural error in his arrest. The ruling said Justice Minister Carlo Nordio should have been informed ahead of time, since the justice ministry handles all relations with the ICC.
The ICC said it had not been given prior notice of the Rome court's decision, as required, and “is seeking, and is yet to obtain, verification from the authorities on the steps reportedly taken.”
Al-Masri returned to Tripoli late Tuesday, received at the Mitiga airport by supporters who celebrated his release, according to local media. Footage circulated online showed dozens of young men chanting and carrying what appeared to be al-Masri on their shoulders.
“This is a stunning blow to victims, survivors and international justice and a missed opportunity to break the cycle of impunity in Libya,” said Amnesty International’s Esther Major, deputy director of research for Europe.
Nordio appeared in the Senate on Wednesday for a previously-scheduled briefing, and was grilled by outraged opposition lawmakers who demanded clarity about what happened. Former Premier Matteo Renzi accused the right-wing government of hypocrisy given its stated crackdown on human traffickers.
“But when a trafficker whom the International Criminal Court tells us is a dangerous criminal lands on your table, it’s not like you chase him down, you brought him home to Libya with a plane of the Italian secret services,” said Renzi of the Italia Viva party. “Either you’ve gone crazy or this is the image of a hypocritical, indecent government.”
The Democratic Party demanded Premier Giorgia Meloni respond specifically to parliament about the case, saying it raised “grave questions” given the known abuses in Libyan prisons for which al-Masri is accused. Nordio didn't respond.
Italy has close ties to the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, on whom it relies to patrol its coasts and prevent waves of migrants from leaving. Any trial in The Hague of al-Masri could bring unwanted attention to Italy’s migration policies and its support of the Libyan coast guard, which it has financed to prevent migrants from leaving.
Human rights groups have documented gross abuses in the Libyan detention facilities where migrants are kept, and have accused Italy of being complicit in their mistreatment.
Two humanitarian groups, Mediterranea Saving Humans and Refugees in Libya, which have documented abuses committed against migrants in Libyan detention facilities, said they were incredulous that Italy let al-Masri go.
David Yambio, a 27-year-old from South Sudan who said he was abused by al-Masri while he was detained at the Mitiga prison in 2019-2020, said he felt betrayed by Italy. Yambio, who eventually escaped from the prison and arrived in Italy on a smuggler’s boat in 2022, said he had a “fleeting feeling of justice” when he heard that al-Masri had been arrested in Turin.
“Those who waited long before me, the Libyans who are victims of his criminal network, his war crimes, have been wanting for this day to come,” said Yambio, who received asylum and now lives in Modena and runs his Refugees in Libya advocacy group. “But when it came, it was immediately extinguished hours before it could even truly be felt in our hearts.”
But Tarik Lamloum, a Libyan activist working with the Belaady Organization for Human Rights which focuses on migrants in Libya, said Italy’s release of al-Masri was expected. He said his release shows the power of militias who control the flow of migrants to Europe through Libya’s shores.
“Tripoli militias are able to pressure (Italy) because they control the migrants file,” he told The Associated Press.
Militias in western Libya are part of the official state forces tasked with intercepting migrants at sea, including in the EU-trained coast guard. They also run state detention centers, where abuses of migrants are common.
As a result, militias — some of them led by warlords the U.N. has sanctioned for abuses — benefit from millions in funds the European Union gives to Libya to stop the migrant flow to Europe.
The European Commission spokesman reaffirmed all EU members had pledged to cooperate with the court.
“We respect the court’s impartiality and we are fully attached to international criminal justice to combat impunity," said EU commission spokesman Anouar El Anouni. In a 2023 summit, the EU leaders committed “to cooperate fully with the court, including rapid execution of any pending arrests,” he added.
Magdy reported from Cairo. Paolo Santalucia in Rome and Molly Quell in The Hague contributed.
FILE - View of the ICC, the International Criminal Court, in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)
Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi makes his remarks during Justice Minister Carlo Nordio's appearance at the Senate for the report on the justice administration, in Rome, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Roberto Monaldo//LaPresse via AP)
Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi makes his remarks during Justice Minister Carlo Nordio's appearance at the Senate for the report on the justice administration, in Rome, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Roberto Monaldo//LaPresse via AP)
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio addresses the Senate during the report on the justice administration, in Rome, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Roberto Monaldo//LaPresse via AP)
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio puts his hand to his head during the presentation of the report on the justice administration, at the Senate, in Rome, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Roberto Monaldo//LaPresse via AP)
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio addresses the Senate during the report on the justice administration, in Rome, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Roberto Monaldo//LaPresse via AP)