International Criminal Court Requests Qadhaffi Arrest Warrants

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, today requested arrest warrants for Libyan leader Qadhaffi, his son and a brother-in-law.

The prosecutor said there is evidence that Qadhaffi has committed crimes against humanity in his efforts to maintain power in Libya during the past two months. The regime's "widespread and systematic attacks against the civilian population" constitute crimes against humanity, the prosecutor argued.

Chief Prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo said his office "gathered direct evidence about orders issued by Moammar Qadhaffi himself, direct evidence of Saif al-Islam (Qadhaffi) organizing the recruitment of mercenaries and direct evidence of the participation of (Abdullah) al-Sanussi in the attacks against demonstrators." Al-Sanussi is Qadhaffi's head of intelligence and chief enforcer.

"The evidence shows that persecution is still ongoing in the areas under Qadhaffi control," Moreno-Ocampo said. "There is reason to believe Qadhaffi "personally ordered" attacks on unarmed civilians and that al-Sanussi is the executioner."

"The evidence shows that civilians were attacked in their homes; demonstrations were repressed using live ammunition; heavy artillery was used against participants in funeral processions, and snipers placed to kill those leaving the mosques after the prayers."

Qadhaffi has "absolute authority" in Libya....It's a crime to challenge Qadhaffi's authority and he used his authority to commit the crimes," Moreno-Ocampo said.

The investigation covered 11 countries and included the review of 1,200 documents and interviews with 50 witnesses.

Moreno-Ocampo will present the evidence to a panel of judges so that the court can decide whether to issue arrest warrants.

Moreno-Ocampo said in a prior report that the alleged crimes against humanity include alleged rapes by Qadhaffi supporters and the deportation or forcible transfer of Libyan citizens.

"It is indeed a characteristic of the situation in Libya that massive crimes are reportedly committed upon instruction of a few persons who control the organizations that execute the orders," the report said. "Arresting those who ordered the commission of crimes, should the judges decide to issue warrants, will contribute to the protection of citizens in Libya."

Libya is not a signatory to the treaty that created the International Criminal Court and said that it intends to ignore the prosecutor’s efforts to arrest the Libyan leader and family members.