International Court to Give Judgement on Gaddafi Arrest Warrant
The International Criminal Court is set to decide Monday evening whether to issue a warrant against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, after prosecutors made a case against him for crimes against humanity against his opponents.
A panel of three judges based in the Hague court, is expected to announce a judgment at 9 p.m. local time on arguments over whether Gaddafi and two of his close colleagues in government should have arrest warrants issued against them.
Prosecutors have asked that Gaddafi, as well as his son Saif al-Islam, 39, and the head of Libyan intelligence, Abdullah al-Senussi, 62, be issued with warrants for widespread killings against rebels that have stood up against him since February.
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According to AFP, Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said, “Crimes continue today in Libya. To stop the crimes and protect civilians in Libya, Gaddafi must be arrested.”
Moreno-Ocampo argued to the court that Gaddafi had personally overseen the planning and implementing of a “policy of widespread and systematic attacks against civilians and demonstrators and dissidents in particular.”
He said, “Gaddafi's plan expressly included the use of lethal force against demonstrators and dissidents.”
The submission added: “Gaddafi's plans were carried out through his inner circle, which included Saif al-Islam, Gaddafi's de-facto prime minister and his brother-in-law Al-Senussi, considered to be his right-hand man.”
