Libya must abide by its agreements as an UN member and not dismiss international efforts to bring Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and others to justice, a war crimes prosecutor said on Wednesday.
Libya must abide by its agreements as an UN member and not dismiss international efforts to bring Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and others to justice, a war crimes prosecutor said on Wednesday.
International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo requested arrest warrants on Monday for Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi, who is Gaddafi's brother-in-law, on charges of crimes against humanity.
Libyan officials denounced the ICC prosecutor's request on Monday, calling the international court a creation of the West and saying that Libya has no legal obligation to the ICC.
The Hague-based ICC has no police force and relies on states to enforce any arrests, a strategy which has failed to produce results in the case of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir who is wanted for genocide in Darfur.
"I wish to remind you that the situation in Libya was referred to the Office of the Prosecutor by the United Nations Security Council," Moreno-Ocampo said in a letter to Libyan foreign minister Abdelati Obeidi which he released to the media.
"The same resolution also decided that the Libyan authorities shall cooperate fully with and provide any necessary assistance to the court and prosecutor," he said in the letter.
The ICC prosecutor told reporters on Monday his office had direct evidence of orders issued by Gaddafi himself to kill protesters, direct evidence of Saif al-Islam organising the recruitment of mercenaries and direct evidence of the participation of al-Senussi in attacks against demonstrators.
He said his office had documented how the three held meetings to plan the operations and that Gaddafi had used his "absolute authority to commit crimes in Libya".
Moreno-Ocampo said civilians were attacked in their homes, demonstrations were repressed using live ammunition, heavy artillery was used against funeral processions and snipers placed to kill those leaving mosques after prayers.
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