ICC Chief Calls On Libya To Ensure Justice

Posted November 7th, 2012 at 6:00 pm (UTC-5)
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The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has called on Libya's leadership to ensure that justice is served for all crimes committed during last year's uprising.

Libya's new government will be sworn in Thursday in Tripoli.

Fatou Bensouda told the United Nations Security Council Wednesday that the new government should not grant amnesty for international crimes committed during the February 2011 revolution. She said the situation in Libya remains of serious concern, and she urged the international community to help Libya combat impunity and enforce the rule of law.

ICC's prosecutors have indicted Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, and Abdullah al-Senusssi, his former intelligence chief, on charges of murder and other crimes against the people of Libya.

Tripoli has made a request to hold its own trials.

The Hague-based court's top prosecutor said the ICC judges are contemplating the request.

Bensouda said she understands that the Libyan government has committed itself to a strategy of addressing all crimes committed in the country. But she urged the leaders to make this strategy public and cooperative.

The U.N. Security Council last year ordered the court to investigate Gaddafi's violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters during the Arab Spring.

Bensouda said her office continues to gather information on a possible second Libyan case focusing on allegations of rape and sexual violence targeting men and women, allegations against other members of Gaddafi's government, and charges of crimes committed by rebel forces.