INTERPOL has issued [see here] a global alert known as an Orange Notice against Colonel Al-Qadhafi and 15 other Libyan nationals, including members of his family and close associates, in a bid to warn member states of the danger posed by the movement of these individuals and their assets, to assist member states in their efforts to enforce sanctions under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011), and to support INTERPOL’s assistance to the International Criminal Court investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in Libya.

With identifying information on each of the subjects on the UN travel ban and asset freeze list added to INTERPOL’s databases and circulated to frontline law enforcement officers at key areas such as border control points, INTERPOL’s alert will help ensure that law enforcement in each of the world police body’s 188 member countries will be able to take all necessary measures to protect civilians and to enforce travel bans against all 16 Libyan nationals, as well as the assets freeze targeting six of them. The individuals subject to the Orange Notice have been identified as being involved in or complicit in planning attacks, including aerial bombardments, on civilian populations.

INTERPOL’s alert will see its Command and Co-ordination Centre at its General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon liaise with its National Central Bureaus to pool and update all relevant intelligence to ensure that the Libyan nationals are not able to circumvent the travel ban or the assets freeze.

With the UN Security Council referring recent events in Libya to the International Criminal Court and calling on all states and concerned international organizations to co-operate fully with the Prosecutor and the Court in this matter, INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said: “INTERPOL’s constitution provides a clear mandate for the widest co-operation among law enforcement authorities in its member countries, within the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the prevention of serious human rights abuses.”

“As a first priority, we must work to protect the civilian populations of Libya and of any country into which these Libyan individuals may travel or attempt to move their assets,” said Secretary General Noble.

“If member states are expected to implement effectively the travel ban and asset freeze against the named individuals in order to prevent serious criminal conduct and abuse of human rights, they will need instant access to hard data. INTERPOL’s secure global communications system and databases will give them access to the information on which to act. The ICC Prosecutor will also need secure options for gathering and sharing information relevant to his investigation which INTERPOL can provide.

“Our co-operation with the UN Security Council on sanctions against individuals is strong and will get stronger. Once the relevant UN Committee for monitoring the implementation of these sanctions has had an opportunity to consider the matter, INTERPOL hopes to work with the UN to obtain the issuance of and ensure the reliability of INTERPOL – UN Security Council Special Notices for these individuals as we have done with the 1267 Committee,” added the head of INTERPOL.

INTERPOL’s co-operation with UN bodies has seen its global law enforcement network and system of international notices used by international criminal tribunals and the ICC to seek persons wanted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.