NETHERLANDS: The International Criminal Court's prosecutor says he has contacted Libyan rebels about the transfer of arrested suspects such as Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to The Hague

Record ID: 345938

  • Title: NETHERLANDS: The International Criminal Court's prosecutor says he has contacted Libyan rebels about the transfer of arrested suspects such as Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to The Hague
  • Date: 23rd August 2011
  • Summary: THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS (AUGUST 22, 2011) (REUTERS) EXTERIORS OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (SOUNDBITE) (English) INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT CHIEF PROSECUTOR LUIS MORENO-OCAMPO, SAYING: "The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Muammar Gaddafi, Saif Gaddafi and (Abdullah) al-Senussi for crimes against humanity committed in Libya. Assuming they are arrested in Libya, because issues are pending, normally they have to be surrendered to the court. We understand there are no current investigations against them in Libya and this issue should be properly analysed, and we are in touch with Libyan authorities, they are committed to respect international law, and we fully trust that the solution will be in according to their legal system, of course, all our witnesses always told us - why are you investigating these people for the crimes committed after 17th of February? Some of them, in particular Senussi and Muammar Gaddafi committed crimes for the last 40 years. Of course nothing precludes the Libyan authorities to conduct genuine national investigations there, and they could do that, against these individuals or against all the others who are not prosecuted. So the current situation is we have arrests warrants pending against Saif Gaddafi, so if he is arrested and there are no investigations currently in Libya, he could be surrendered to the court." PAPERS ON PROSECUTOR'S DESK (SOUNDBITE) (English) INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT CHIEF PROSECUTOR LUIS MORENO-OCAMPO, SAYING: "It's a very fluid situation, I talked today to the authorities in Libya and their main goal now is to stabilise Tripoli, and of course stopping the crime is our priority too, so we agree today, priority to stabilise Tripoli, control the situation, provide security for all the people in Libya, that's a priority and we have time to discuss the legal aspects." BUILDING OF THE ICC
  • Embargoed: 7th September 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Netherlands, Netherlands
  • Country: Netherlands
  • Reuters ID: LVABOM1A828EUBW18VR1XQ7XCKDC
  • Story Text: The International Criminal Court's prosecutor on Monday (August 22) said he had contacted Libyan rebels but needed more talks to determine how to transfer arrested suspects such as Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to The Hague.
    ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he held talks with the rebels' National Transitional Council on Monday about its efforts to stabilise the situation in Tripoli and to establish security, and that he was committed to support these efforts.
    "The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Muammar Gaddafi, Saif Gaddafi and (Abdullah) al-Senussi for crimes against humanity committed in Libya. Assuming they are arrested in Libya, because issues are pending, normally they have to be surrendered to the court. We understand there are no current investigations against them in Libya and this issue should be properly analysed, and we are in touch with Libyan authorities, they are committed to respect international law, and we fully trust that the solution will be in according to their legal system, of course, all our witnesses always told us - why are you investigating these people for the crimes committed after 17th of February? Some of them, in particular Senussi and Muammar Gaddafi committed crimes for the last 40 years. Of course nothing precludes the Libyan authorities to conduct genuine national investigations there, and they could do that, against these individuals or against all the others who are not prosecuted. So the current situation is we have arrests warrants pending against Saif Gaddafi, so if he is arrested and there are no investigations currently in Libya, he could be surrendered to the court," said the ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, adding that legal issues could wait until the situation stabilises in the capital.
    "It's a very fluid situation, I talked today to the authorities in Libya and their main goal now is to stabilise Tripoli, and of course stopping the crime is our priority too, so we agree today, priority to stabilise Tripoli, control the situation, provide security for all the people in Libya, that's a priority and we have time to discuss the legal aspects," the prosecutor added.
    The ICC issued arrest warrants for Muammar Gaddafi, his son Saif and Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi in June on charges of crimes against humanity after the U.N. Security Council referred the Libyan situation to the court in February.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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