By R. Renee Yaworsky
Senior Desk Officer, Middle East
TRIPOLI, Libya—Colonel Moammar Gadhafi has been accused of “crimes against humanity.” On Monday, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo asked judges to issue the indictments against Gadhafi. It has not even been two months since Gadhafi’s file was opened at the request of the United Nations Security Council, making this the quickest probe of its kind.
Moreno-Ocampo accused Gadhafi of “commit[ing] crimes with the goal of preserving authority,” using snipers to gun down protesters, encouraging violence against civilians and sending tanks into cities. He also alleged that the leader ordered attacks on innocent civilians in their own residences, at funerals, and as they left religious services. Gadhafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanoussi were also accused of participation in the Colonel’s reign of terror. The ICC believes that these 3 men bear the most guilt for “widespread and systematic attacks” against Libyan citizens.
NATO allies have celebrated the arrest warrant against Gadhafi. Canada’s government issued a statement displaying its support of the ICC “in its efforts to ensure that justice is served and to show the world that crimes perpetrated by the Gadhafi regime will not be tolerated.” Guma el-Gamaty of Libya’s Interim National Council stated that the acts of the ICC are “a very important step along the way to putting more pressure on Gadhafi and his son to leave or face arrest.”
Others remain skeptical that the ICC arrest warrant will be powerful enough, citing examples where war criminals have evaded justice (such as in the case of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir who remains free to travel even after the ICC issued him a similar warrant). Human rights defenders have been supportive of the ICC but stress the need for other war criminals to be held accountable as well.
Michael Bochenek of Amnesty International explained, “The request for arrest warrants is a step forward for international justice and accountability in the region. [But] by any standard, what is happening in Syria is equal to, if not worse than, the situation in Libya when the Security Council referred that country to the ICC.”
One of Gadhafi’s spokesmen ridiculed the accusations against the Libyan leader and pointed out the fact that Libya was not a signatory to the ICC. Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Kaim dismissed the ICC as a “baby of the European Union designed for African politicians and leaders” with “questionable” practices.
For more information, please see:
Tripoli Post-ICC Seeking Warrant for Al-Qathafi and Two Other Family Members ‘For Crimes Against Humanity’-16 May 2011
BBC-Libya: Gaddafi ICC arrest warrant raises questions-16 May 2011
NPR-UN Prosecutor Calls For Gadhafi Arrest Warrant-16 May 2011
Globe and Mail-Warrants for Gadhafi could jeopardize possible exile deals-16 May 2011
