By John Stephen Katende

16^th May 2011:

Gaddafi in happier times, a bleak future awaits him

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has asked ICC Judges to issue an international arrest warrant for Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi and two others for crimes against humanity.

In submission, Ocampo told the Judges that Col Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanussi bore the greatest responsibility for what he called “widespread and systematic attacks” on civilians.  The ICC Judges must now decide whether Moreno-Ocampo presented a compelling prima facie case against “The Libyan Three” to justify issuance of a warrant for their arrest.

Reacting to the development, Libya’s Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Kaim told the BBC that the court was a “…baby of the European Union designed for African politicians and leaders” and its practices were “questionable”.  Like the US, Sudan, and a few other countries, Libya too did not sign up to the Rome Statute that created the ICC.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo’s call for the arrest of Col Gaddafi on war crimes charges is his second for a sitting head of state. As was the case with his indictment of Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, Gaddafi’s arrest warrant, if issued, could be just as hard to enforce.  There are also fears that ICC’s previous interventions, like that against LRA leader Joseph Kony, ended up frustrating efforts towards a negotiated settlement.

Ocampo said that after reviewing more than 1,200 documents and 50 interviews with key insiders and witnesses, his office had evidence to show that Col Gaddafi had “personally ordered attacks on unarmed Libyan civilians”.  At a press conference in The Hague today, Ocampo accused Gaddafi’s forces of attacking civilians in their homes and in public spaces.

In some cases, Ocampo added, they “…shot demonstrators with live ammunition, used heavy weaponry against participants in funeral processions, and placed snipers to kill those leaving mosques after prayers.  The evidence shows that such persecution is still ongoing as I speak today in the areas under Gaddafi’s control”.

Ocampo also said Col Gaddafi’s second-oldest son Saif al-Islam is the de facto Prime Minister while Sanussi, Gaddafi’s brother-in-law, is his right-hand man – the executioner, the head of military intelligence. “…He commanded personally some of the attacks”, Ocampo alleged.

He also said his office had evidence to prove that Gaddafi personally issued some orders, that Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam was directly involved in “organising the recruitment of mercenaries”, as well as evidence of the “participation of Sanussi in the attacks against demonstrators”.

Ocampo said he was “almost ready” for a trial with testimonies of witnesses who escaped from Libya.  END.  Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.