ICC seeks warrants for Gadhafi and his son
Source: Agencies |
May 17, 2011, Tuesday
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THE International Criminal Court prosecutor asked judges yesterday to issue arrest warrants for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and two other senior members of his government, accusing them of committing crimes against humanity by targeting civilians in a crackdown against rebels.
The move by prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo came as rebel fighters inside the Libyan city of Misrata said yesterday that they had driven Gadhafi's forces from another key point on the port city's outskirts, but there were conflicting reports on whether the rebels would advance farther for fear of opening too wide a front.
Moreno-Ocampo said he was seeking warrants against Gadhafi as well as his son Seif al-Islam Gadhafi and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanoussi.
He said Gadhafi's forces attacked civilians in their homes, shot at demonstrators protesting his 40 years of rule with live ammunition, shelled funeral processions and deployed snipers to kill people leaving mosques.
Judges must now evaluate the evidence before deciding whether to confirm the charges and issue international arrest warrants.
"The case is now in their hands," Moreno-Ocampo told reporters at a press conference in The Hague, Netherlands.
Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said he had no immediate comment. Speaking before Moreno-Ocampo's announcement, Libya's deputy foreign minister, Khaled Kaim, said the threat of arrest warrants was not worth discussing.
Still, the arrest warrants - if they are issued - are seen in Libya as giving NATO more justification to target Gadhafi in its campaign of airstrikes.
The warrants also could complicate efforts to find a haven for Gadhafi as a part of any negotiated settlement to the Libyan crisis.
Because the United Nations Security Council ordered the ICC investigation, all UN member states would be obliged to arrest him if he ventures into their territory.
Asked why he has not launched similar investigations into other Arab uprisings, Moreno-Ocampo said that no such action had been requested by the Security Council, as it was in the case of Libya.
The rebels applauded the prosecutor's action. Members of the NATO coalition also welcomed Moreno-Ocampo's decision to seek warrants.
In Libya, the rebel forces appeared to have expanded their hold on Misrata, the only major opposition stronghold in western Libya. Most of Libya's rebel forces are concentrated in the east.
A video posted Sunday on the Libyan rebels' Facebook page showed more than 200 SUVs and rebel vehicles at the southeastern gate of Misrata. It would give the rebels tighter control of the access points into the city.
The video showed rebels firing into the air in celebration.
The move by prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo came as rebel fighters inside the Libyan city of Misrata said yesterday that they had driven Gadhafi's forces from another key point on the port city's outskirts, but there were conflicting reports on whether the rebels would advance farther for fear of opening too wide a front.
Moreno-Ocampo said he was seeking warrants against Gadhafi as well as his son Seif al-Islam Gadhafi and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanoussi.
He said Gadhafi's forces attacked civilians in their homes, shot at demonstrators protesting his 40 years of rule with live ammunition, shelled funeral processions and deployed snipers to kill people leaving mosques.
Judges must now evaluate the evidence before deciding whether to confirm the charges and issue international arrest warrants.
"The case is now in their hands," Moreno-Ocampo told reporters at a press conference in The Hague, Netherlands.
Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said he had no immediate comment. Speaking before Moreno-Ocampo's announcement, Libya's deputy foreign minister, Khaled Kaim, said the threat of arrest warrants was not worth discussing.
Still, the arrest warrants - if they are issued - are seen in Libya as giving NATO more justification to target Gadhafi in its campaign of airstrikes.
The warrants also could complicate efforts to find a haven for Gadhafi as a part of any negotiated settlement to the Libyan crisis.
Because the United Nations Security Council ordered the ICC investigation, all UN member states would be obliged to arrest him if he ventures into their territory.
Asked why he has not launched similar investigations into other Arab uprisings, Moreno-Ocampo said that no such action had been requested by the Security Council, as it was in the case of Libya.
The rebels applauded the prosecutor's action. Members of the NATO coalition also welcomed Moreno-Ocampo's decision to seek warrants.
In Libya, the rebel forces appeared to have expanded their hold on Misrata, the only major opposition stronghold in western Libya. Most of Libya's rebel forces are concentrated in the east.
A video posted Sunday on the Libyan rebels' Facebook page showed more than 200 SUVs and rebel vehicles at the southeastern gate of Misrata. It would give the rebels tighter control of the access points into the city.
The video showed rebels firing into the air in celebration.
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