Arrest warrant issued for Gaddafi
Jun 27, 2011
War crimes court judges Monday issued arrest warrants for Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi and two of his closest allies for crimes against humanity committed against opponents of his regime, a judge said.
THE HAGUE, (AFP) - War crimes court judges Monday issued arrest warrants for Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi and two of his closest allies for crimes against humanity committed against opponents of his regime, a judge said.
"The chamber hereby issue a warrant of arrest against Moamer Kadhafi," Judge Sanji Mmasenono Monageng said during a hearing at the Hague-based International Criminal Court.
The court's decision came on the 100th day of NATO's operations in Libya, with airstrikes having eased the siege of key rebel cities.
However Kadhafi is still in power and fears remain of a full-fledged civil war.
ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo had asked for warrants for Kadhafi, 69, his son Seif al-Islam, 39, and the head of Libyan intelligence, Abdullah al-Senussi, 62, for murder and persecution since mid-February, when the bloody uprising started.
All three are charged over their roles in suppressing the revolt, in which civilians were murdered and persecuted by Libyan forces, particularly in Tripoli, Benghazi and Misrata, the prosecutor said.
Thousands have so far died in the fighting, while around 650,000 others fled the country. Another 243,000 Libyans have been displaced internally, according to UN figures.
On Sunday, Moreno-Ocampo said the war crimes in Libya will not stop until Kadhafi is arrested.
"Crimes continue today in Libya. To stop the crimes and protect civilians in Libya, Kadhafi must be arrested," he said in a statement.
On the ground in Libya, rebel commanders said the fighting centered on Bir al-Ghanam, a strategic point on the road to the Libyan capital.
Moreno-Ocampo's investigation follows a referral by the United Nations Security Council on the Libyan conflict on February 26. The prosecutor's office launched its investigation five days later. On May 16, Moreno-Ocampo asked the court for the warrants.
It will be the second time the ICC's chief prosecutor has a country's head of state in his sights, after an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was issued in March 2009.
That warrant has yet to be executed.
"The chamber hereby issue a warrant of arrest against Moamer Kadhafi," Judge Sanji Mmasenono Monageng said during a hearing at the Hague-based International Criminal Court.
The court's decision came on the 100th day of NATO's operations in Libya, with airstrikes having eased the siege of key rebel cities.
However Kadhafi is still in power and fears remain of a full-fledged civil war.
ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo had asked for warrants for Kadhafi, 69, his son Seif al-Islam, 39, and the head of Libyan intelligence, Abdullah al-Senussi, 62, for murder and persecution since mid-February, when the bloody uprising started.
All three are charged over their roles in suppressing the revolt, in which civilians were murdered and persecuted by Libyan forces, particularly in Tripoli, Benghazi and Misrata, the prosecutor said.
Thousands have so far died in the fighting, while around 650,000 others fled the country. Another 243,000 Libyans have been displaced internally, according to UN figures.
On Sunday, Moreno-Ocampo said the war crimes in Libya will not stop until Kadhafi is arrested.
"Crimes continue today in Libya. To stop the crimes and protect civilians in Libya, Kadhafi must be arrested," he said in a statement.
On the ground in Libya, rebel commanders said the fighting centered on Bir al-Ghanam, a strategic point on the road to the Libyan capital.
Moreno-Ocampo's investigation follows a referral by the United Nations Security Council on the Libyan conflict on February 26. The prosecutor's office launched its investigation five days later. On May 16, Moreno-Ocampo asked the court for the warrants.
It will be the second time the ICC's chief prosecutor has a country's head of state in his sights, after an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was issued in March 2009.
That warrant has yet to be executed.