16 May 2011
UN war crimes court’s chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo asked ICC judges in The Hague on Monday for arrest warrants against Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, his son Saif al-Islam and his intelligence head for crimes against humanity.
The Argentinian prosecutor said there was evidence “that Moamer Kadhafi personally ordered attacks on innocent Libyan civilians”.
A panel of International Criminal Court judges will now have to decide whether to accept or reject the prosecutor’s application, based on his case file.
Moreno-Ocampo announced on 3 March he was opening an investigation into human rights abuses in Libya as the anti-regime revolt entered its fourth month in the north African country.
His investigation targeted eight people, including Kadhafi and three of his sons.
Ahead of Moreno-Campo’s request, the Kadhafi regime offered an immediate ceasefire in return for a halt to the Nato bombardment. The proposal was made by Prime Minister Baghdadi Mahmudi to visiting UN special envoy to Libya, Abdul-llah al-Khatib.
The prime minister added that Libya was committed to the unity of its territory and people and that they had the right to decide on their internal affairs and political system through democratic dialogue away from the bombing threat.
Protests against Kadhafi’s four-decade rule began on 15 February with Moreno-Ocampo saying thousands of people have been killed in the violence and around 750,000 people forced to flee, according to UN figures.
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