Libya and the ICC

Related News and background:

• Ocampo: 'No impunity in Libya' - a new era
• ICC targets Gaddafi for atrocities in Libya
• Ocampo opens investigation into Libyan atrocities
• Libya - a case for the ICC
• HRW: No mercenaries in eastern Libya
• ICC prosecutor announces preliminary Libya probe
• UN Security Council refers Libya to ICC
• Gaddafi the destroyer; Gaddafi the builder
• Libya in the dock?

More information:

• The International Criminal Court
• The Coalition for the International Court

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The good news is that "the world is united" on reacting faster to serious crimes, says the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Luis Moreno Ocampo said he has opened a formal investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in Libya.

The investigation into possible crimes committed by security forces against peaceful demonstrators comes just days after the UN Security Council's landmark unanimous decision on Saturday, to refer the situation in Libya to the ICC.

Speaking to a room packed with journalists and cameras from around the world, Ocampo said his office had identified "some individuals" including Muammar Gaddafi, members of his family and inner circle and officials, who could be held responsible for the "most serious incidents and crimes".

Suspects put on notice
Without mentioning names, the prosecutor said members of Gaddafi's inner circle could be considered as having de facto responsibility, while those with formal responsibility would include the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the head of security and military intelligence and the head of the Libyan external security organisation.

These people will now be "put on notice" that they could be held "criminally responsible" for crimes committed by their subordinates, said Ocampo. He added that those who are in a position to prevent crimes but fail to do so could also face investigation.

New situation
Ocampo promised there would be "no impunity in Libya" and pledged to be impartial. He said his office had information that some opposition groups in Libya had weapons and that if they have committed crimes, they too would be investigated. The chief prosecutor said his office had been collecting information from sources inside Libya since Sunday and the next step is to present the case to ICC judges, who could decide to issue arrest warrants in a few months.

As the ICC has no police force of its own, prosecution investigators in Libya will rely on support from the Arab League and the African Union to carry out their work on the ground. Only two weeks after the start of the uprising in Libya, the world is united in its commitment to prevent serious crimes, Ocampo said. He added that, "today we have a new situation, where no one can get away with attacking civilians". From his podium, the world's first chief prosecutor told the world's media - "the world is changing - and serious crimes are now everybody's business".