Friday, October 28, 2011

Libya:

Col Gaddafi son Saif opens ICC talks on surrender
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Muammar Gaddafi's fugitive son, who is wanted for crimes against humanity has established indirect contacts with the International Criminal Court on his surrender, the court's chief prosecutor said.


Saif al-Islam had been his late father's favoured son and was seen as his heir apparent Photo: REUTERS/Paul Hackett
by Our Foreign Staff
1:47PM BST 28 Oct 2011
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The prosecutor said that his office was in "informal contact" with Muammar Gaddafi's son through intermediaries regarding his surrender to the war crimes court.

"Through intermediaries, we have informal contact with Saif. The office of the prosecutor has made it clear that if he surrenders to the ICC, he has the right to be heard in court, he is innocent until proven guilty. The judges will decide," prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said in a statement.

Mr Moreno-Ocampo would not say with whom the court is talking. He also said the court does not know al-Islam's whereabouts.

If Saif is brought before the court, Mr Moreno-Ocampo said, he will "have all the rights and be protected," and will be allowed to present his defence.

"We believe we have a strong case," the prosecutor told CNN. "We believe he should be convicted."

The court believes Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, his father, and his brother-in-law Abdulla al-Senussi are responsible for crimes against humanity in Libya, including murder and persecution across the country beginning in February amid anti-government demonstrations, Moreno-Ocampo said.

Al-Senussi served as the head of intelligence for Muammar Gaddafi, who was captured by opposition fighters and killed last week.

Mr Moreno-Ocampo promised there would be no deals for Saif surrender.

"Additionally, we have learnt through informal channels that there is a group of mercenaries who are offering to move Saif to an African (country) not party to the Rome Statute of the ICC. The Office of the Prosecutor is also exploring the possibility to intercept any plane within the air space of a state party in order to make an arrest," he said.

Countries which are not party to the Rome Statute are not obliged to hand over suspects.

"This is a legal process and if the judges decide that Saif is innocent, or has served his sentence, he can request the judges to send him to a different country as long as that country accepts him," it added.

Following the grisly death of his father, the one-time Libyan heir-apparently has reportedly taken refuge among Sahara nomads, crossing into Niger.

A senior National Transitional Council official claimed although he had cross the border into Niger, he had not yet found a way to hand himself over.

"There is a contact with Mali and with South Africa and with another neighbouring country to organise his exit ... He hasn't got confirmation yet, he's still waiting," said the official.

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telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8855510/Libya-Col-Gaddafi-son-Saif-opens-ICC-talks-on-surrender.html

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