ICC says it has found evidence of war crimes in Libya
International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan urged Libya and other countries on November 19th to help arrest six men accused of war crimes, according to Africa News and agencies.
The men are linked to a militia blamed for several killings and other times in a town in western Libya where mass graves were discovered back in 2020.
Khan told the UN Security Council that he is ready to work with Libya’s government and people along with other countries, whether they are party to the ICC or not, to assist in the arrest. The ICC doesn’t have a police for and relies on its 124 member states to enforce arrest warrants.
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All six men were either key members of or associated with the Al Kaniyat militia that from at least 2015 to June 2020 when they were ousted by government forces controlled the town of Tarhuna. Tarhuna is located about 65 kilometers, or 40 miles, southeast of, Tripoli, the capital.
Briefing the council by video from Libya, Khan said that met victims earlier on November 19th from Tarhuna, saying he walked “in the areas where their loved ones were tortured and killed” and one Libyan told him that “every household in Tarhuna has a victim.”
“They have a steely determination. They have a clear conviction that justice and accountability and fair processes are essential for themselves, their families, their community, and for Libya at large,” Khan said.
He added that the victims’ determination “gives rise to renewed hope that things are moving in a direction away from talk to action, and the possibility of justice.”
Six arrest warrants were unsealed by the ICC in early October for six men: Abdelrahim al-Kani, Makhlouf Douma, Nasser al-Lahsa, Mohammed Salheen, Abdelbari al-Shaqaqi and Fathi al-Zinkal.
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At the time, Khan said that three of the men were leaders or senior members of Al Kaniyat. Three others were Libyan security officials associated with the militia at the time of the alleged crimes. “We know where they are,” Khan said on November 19th.
He said the victims have informed him that they are pleased with the warrants, but that “what they are demanding is your help to help with the arrests of those individuals and to ensure that there are trials — that they can be part of trials when they can give evidence.”
Africa News, The Guardian
