TRIPOLI, April 18, 2012 (AFP)
TRIPOLI, April 18, 2012 (AFP)
International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said on a visit to Tripoli on Wednesday that Seif al-Islam will face justice no matter where his trial is ultimately held.
“Judges of the ICC will decide who makes the trial,” Ocampo told AFP at the start of a three-day visit to the North African nation.
“The interesting thing is that the ICC wants to do justice on Seif (and) Libya wants to do justice on Seif, (so) there will be justice for Seif,” he
stressed.
The fate of slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi’s son Seif al-Islam, who is wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity, is expected to top the agenda in his talks with senior Libyan officials.
Seif, who was arrested on November 19 in southern Libya, is being held in a secret detention centre in Zintan, 180 kilometres (110 miles) southwest of Tripoli.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for him in February 2011, when pro-Kadhafi forces sought to crush a popular uprising with brutal force.
The new authorities stress that they want to try Seif, 39, in his home country and are expected to challenge the ICC’s jurisdiction over the case.
“Libya says they will present the challenge in the end of April, so I need to be prepared,” said Ocampo, who is due to meet with interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil later in the day.
The ICC envoy said he would not travel to Zintan, where Seif is being held, because Kadhafi’s son still does not have a lawyer.
“I asked the general prosecutor about the situation of Seif — he is saying that he is in good shape, that Seif is okay,” Ocampo added.
The ICC official added that he also plans to visit Misrata where he is investigating rape cases.
“We believe we can present a new case there against all the individuals,” he said, without specifying whether he meant former rebels or Kadhafi’s fighters.
Both camps have been accused of committing war crimes in the 2011 conflict.
