ICC seeks arrest warrants for war crimes in Libya, unearths new evidence

Tripoli, The Gulf Observer: The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has submitted new applications for arrest warrants stemming from his investigations of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Libya.

Karim Asad Ahmad Khan spoke to the UN Security Council on Wednesday in the first briefing by an ICC prosecutor from Libyan soil.He said the applications were submitted confidentially to the court’s independent judges, who will determine whether to issue arrest warrants.

Therefore, he said, he couldn’t provide further details.But, Khan added, “there will be further applications that we will make because the victims want to see action, and the evidence is available, and it’s our challenge to make sure we have the resources (to) prioritise the Libya situation to make sure we can vindicate the promise of the Security Council in Resolution 1970.”In that resolution, adopted in February 2011, the Security Council unanimously referred Libya to The Hague, Netherlands-based ICC to launch an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The council’s referral followed Muammar Gaddafi’s crackdown on protesters that was then taking place. The uprising led to Gaddafi’s arrest and death in October 2011.