The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Khan told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that the ICC issued four new secret arrest warrants for crimes allegedly committed in Libya, announcing at a briefing at the UN Security Council that four warrants were issued by the independent judges of the ICC.
ICC prosecutor Khan added that his office in the last few weeks had applied for two more arrest warrants, but judges have not yet ruled on those applications. The warrants are currently under seal so it is not clear who is targeted or what crimes specifically the ICC prosecutor is charging. The prosecutor has asked judges for the warrants to be unsealed and a decision is pending.
Khan indicated that a team from the ICC would visit Libya in the coming days in order to discuss opening an office for the ICC in coordination with the Libyan authorities, confirming that the ICC “is in contact with the families of the victims and survivors of violations in Libya,” and indicating that the incentive that prompted the Security Council and the ICC to pay attention to the Libyan file “is not political.”
He told the Security Council that his office had dispatched 20 missions and collected more than 500 evidence pieces, including audio clips, video clips, and satellite images that documented war crimes in Libya, reminding the Security Council that “the victims do not trust the Security Council or the ICC,” hailing the cooperation of the Libyan Government of National Unity with the ICC.
He indicated that they provided evidence pieces to six other authorities to bring justice to the victims in their courts, pointing out that justice is not limited to the ICC, but it is the duty of every member state of the United Nations to fulfill their obligations.
