The United Nations Security Council in New York voted unanimously Saturday night, to impose sanctions on Muammar Gadaffi's Libyan regime, over its efforts to put down an uprising. The Council also called for an international war crimes inquiry into "widespread and systematic attacks" against Libyan citizens who have protested against the government over the last two weeks.
The UN says more than 1,000 people have died since the regime tried to put down the revolt.
The Council ordered an immediate halt in arms sales to Libya, an international travel ban on 16 Libyan leaders, and referred the civilian attacks to the International Criminal Court (ICC) because it said the deaths "may amount to crimes against humanity".
Libya is not a party to the Rome Statute that established the court, but now that the Security Council has referred the situation to the prosecutor's office, the country can be investigated.
Libya's UN Mission expressed clear support for the ICC referral and the Arab League and the African Union strongly condemned the Libyan repression.
The vote is only the second time the Security Council has referred a country to the ICC, and the first time a vote for referral was unanimous. Sudan was referred to the ICC in 2005.
The unanimity of the vote on the Libya referral is seen as a major step forward in international acceptance of the role of the ICC - as some Security Council members view the court as a threat to national sovereignty and fear that referrals by the Council, could set precedents that could be used against them.
The rights group, Human Rights Watch said the unanimous resolution referring Libya to the ICC, sends out a strong signal that "the international community will not tolerate the vicious repression of peaceful protesters".
The UN General Assembly is expected to consider a resolution this week to suspend Libya from the Human Rights Council, following last week’s condemnation of Libya at a special Human Rights Council session.
The UN resolution also established a committee to consider whether additional, targeted sanctions should be imposed on other individuals and entities "who commit serious human rights abuses, including ordering attacks and aerial bombardments on civilian populations or facilities."
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The United Nations is controlled by Western Nations whose hypocrisy should be exposed. Back in the 1980's thousands of Zimbabweans perished in the hands of Robert Mugabe's regime. Not only nothing was said but Mugabe was showered with honorary degrees in Western capitals. Later when his government turned on white farmers resulting in the death of maybe 8 of them, Mugabe suddenly was labeled an evil dictator! What about justice for the thousands of black Zimbabweans who were brutally killed in the same manner?
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