The launching of an investigation by the Int’l Criminal Court (ICC) into charges of crimes against humanity in Libya is a hopeful sign that the international community will no longer tolerate dictators who brutalize their people. The ICC must be made aware that Ethiopia’s tyrant Meles Zenawi has been committing similar atrocities for the past 20 years.
(CNN) — The International Criminal Court is opening an investigation into the situation in Libya, the office of the court’s prosecutor said in a statement Wednesday.
“Following a preliminary examination of available information, the prosecutor has reached the conclusion that an investigation is warranted,” the statement said.
Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo plans to present Thursday “an overview of the alleged crimes committed in Libya” since February 15, when the protests in that country started, the statement said.
Libya is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, meaning the Libyan government does not recognize the court’s authority. But the United Nations Security Council referred the matter to the court, giving it “jurisdiction” over the situation in Libya, the statement said.
The court focuses on what it considers “the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.”
No possible charges or violations were listed in the statement.
(Reuters) — The Security Council on Saturday imposed sanctions on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family, and referred Libya’s crackdown on anti-government demonstrators to the ICC.
Once the prosecutor has gathered sufficient evidence, the next step would be for the prosecutor to present his case to ICC judges, who will need to decide whether or not to issue arrest warrants.
Libya was one of a handful of states worldwide that refused to sign up to the ICC’s founding Rome statute, but because the case was referred by the Security Council, its nationals can be prosecuted as the ICC now has jurisdiction.