ICC issues Gaddafi arrest warrant

27 June 2011 11:46 am Views - 6222

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and two of his confidants, citing evidence of crimes against humanity committed against opponents of the Libyan regime.

Judge Sanji Mmasenono Monageng announced the decision on behalf of a three-judge panel in The Hague, where the Court is based, saying the warrants were meant to force Gaddafi, his son and his intelligence chief to appear before the court and prevent the possibility of a cover-up.

It was the second time in the ICC's nine-year history that it has issued an arrest warrant for a sitting head of state. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in 2009; it has yet to be enforced.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the ICC's chief prosecutor, submitted a 74-page dossier of evidence to the panel on May 16, requesting arrest warrants for Gaddafi, his second-eldest son, Saif al-Islam, and his intelligence chief, Abdullah Senussi.

The Court's decision coincides with the 100th day of NATO operations in Libya. International military intervention succeeded in turning back Gaddafi's advance on rebel-held cities, but opposition forces have made few advances since air strikes began on March 19.

Gaddafi has refused calls to step aside and has issued defiant video and audio messages from undisclosed locations, calling the intervention a "crusade" against his country and an attempt by the West to recolonise Libya. He is believed to still be in Libya, along with Saif al-Islam and Abdullah Senussi.

Ocampo had sought indictments for all three on charges of crimes against humanity. He alleged that the three met and planned a brutal crackdown against protesters who took to Libya's streets in mid-February, emboldened by uprisings in nearby neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt.

Gaddafi and Senussi personally issued orders to attack protesters, and Saif al-Islam helped organise the recruitment of mercenaries to put down what became an armed rebellion based out of the country's east, Ocampo said.

Security forces and mercenaries attacked civilians in their homes, used heavy weaponry on funeral processions, and set up snipers to shoot at worshippers leaving mosques, he said.

Ability to enforce warrant is unclear

Ocampo's investigation focused on incidents in Benghazi, Misurata and Tripoli from February 15-20. Benghazi successfully overthrew government control in mid-February, while Misurata held out against an oftentimes indiscriminate attack by regime troops for months, only breaking out of its siege in May.

Gaddafi's security forces successfully stifled dissent in Tripoli, the capital, but unrest in the form of enormous petrol-line queues, sporadic demonstrations and occasional night-time assassinations has begun to grow.

Thousands have so far died in the fighting, while around 650,000 others have fled the country. Another 243,000 Libyans have been displaced internally, according to figures from the United Nations.

The UN Security Council referred the Libyan conflict to the ICC on February 26, and Ocampo launched his investigation five days later.

It's unclear what practical effect the arrest warrant will have on the three men. Gaddafi has made no public indication he is willing to give up power, and the warrant against Bashir seems to have little chance of being enforced: Bashir has travelled to Qatar, Chad and Egypt without incident.   

aljazeera