Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed in Sirte on Friday by rebel Libyan forces, will now join Saddam Hussein, Ben Ali of Tunisia and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak as another fallen dictator of the 1960s generation. A number remain, including Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.

By Jake Taylor*

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The death of the Libyan autocrat signals an end to the debate over the venue of his trial. In June, judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against Gaddafi for crimes against humanity committed by troops pursuant to his orders.

Local law
Gaddafi’s is said to have used “lethal force” to quell the uprising against his regime in February. However, Libya’s justice minister has repeatedly insisted Gaddafi – were he to be captured alive – would be tried in Libya under local law.

Some indication of where Gaddafi would have faced justice, were he captured alive, may be gleaned from the fate of the dictator’s most prominent son, Seif al-Islam.

Face justice
In light of Gaddafi’s death, the world police body Interpol and the ICC urged Seif al-Islam, who was also indicted by the ICC, to give himself up and “face justice”.

In a statement issued yesterday, the two institutions “urged…Seif to give himself up and for the national authorities of the country where he is hiding to guarantee and facilitate his safe transfer to The Netherlands to face justice.”

What happens to Seif al-Islam may well provide some indication of whether national or international justice would have prevailed against Gaddafi.

*Jake Taylor is a regular contributor to the 9 Bedford Row international blog: http://www.9-bedford-row.co.uk/blog/internationalcrime/