New York - The Hague: Europe and the Arabs
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, announced that the court has issued 4 arrest warrants against those accused of committing crimes in Libya, indicating that requests have been submitted for the issuance of two additional arrest warrants. According to what was stated in the United Nations news bulletin, and we received a copy of it on Friday morning.
Khan said - during his briefing to the Security Council on Thursday - that the court has begun its engagement with the states parties in an effort to arrest the individuals against whom these arrest warrants have been issued.
He explained that "the arrest warrants are not an end in themselves, but they are an important step" towards achieving justice for the victims and survivors, adding that their lives "are important to us and we are concerned about what many of them have suffered."
He noted that allegations raised by victims and survivors - which we believe are substantiated - "should be assessed by independent and impartial judges."
The ICC prosecutor described the arrest warrants as a "first step". added:
“We need to work more closely with the independent judicial authorities of UN member states. Everyone has a stake in getting justice. And I think when we can share evidence with national authorities it is a sign of hope.”
Establishing justice on Libyan soil is a sovereign right
In turn, the permanent representative of Libya to the United Nations, Taher Al-Sunni, said that "the administration of justice on Libyan lands is a sovereign right," noting that "the Libyan judiciary is committed to conducting a fair and impartial trial."
Al-Sunni reaffirmed that the cooperation of the Libyan authorities with "the International Criminal Court, according to its jurisdiction and mandate, is carried out in accordance with the principle of complementarity, and this does not mean in any way that the International Criminal Court is an alternative to the Libyan judiciary."
The permanent representative said, "The political situation, the current division of the international community, and the division within the Security Council cannot be separated from what is happening now, including the crimes and atrocities that we hear about."
Al-Sunni added, "Remember that the Libyans are tired of blaming us alone, as if there is no moral or international responsibility due to the many international interventions in my country since 2011."