Lawyers for Justice in Libya said that the six arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against the perpetrators of crimes in Tarhuna hold a glimmer of hope for the victims and affected families in Tarhuna.
The organization added that this development comes after a period of deep disappointment among families, who have lost hope even in achieving justice through the local judiciary, she said.
The organization indicated that the arrest warrant is an implicit confession and a step towards preventing the impunity that prevails in Libya, pointing out that arrest warrants alone are not enough. As none of the suspects for the crimes committed in Libya appeared before the court, despite the numerous arrest warrants issued by the court, as described.
The organization pointed to what it called the stagnation in the pending case against Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, against whom a public arrest warrant had been issued since 2011, without any progress being made regarding his arrest.
The organization explained that, given the lack of clear cooperation on the part of the Libyan authorities regarding the arrest of suspects and their surrender to court, the new arrest orders do not provide any guarantee for achieving justice for the victims.
The organization said that the unsealed arrest warrants highlight the large number of crimes that have not yet been considered by the court, including crimes that fall within the lines of investigation where no public information is available on the progress made regarding the court’s investigations – crimes in detention facilities, and crimes against immigrants.
The organization indicated that its findings, and the results of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission in Libya and other civil society organizations, all indicate the abundance of information identifying the Rome Statute crimes that were committed and are still being committed in these areas, yet no arrest warrants have been issued for such persons. These crimes so far.
The Executive Director of the Insaf Organization for Rights and Freedoms, Mansour Ati, urged the organization to continue the efforts of the Criminal Court with regard to prosecuting the perpetrators of crimes and reducing impunity, stressing the need for these efforts to be serious, non-discriminatory and non-selective, and to include everyone without exception, and not to bias Files according to political whims, according to her.
Ati was surprised by the court’s disregard for the violations and crimes against humanity occurring in the notorious prisons of Tariq bin Ziyad, Qarnada, Al-Kuwayfiya and Al-Radaa, and to obtain justice for the people of Tawergha, as he put it.
Lawyers for Justice in Libya renewed its call for the court, and in particular the Office of the Prosecutor, to intensify efforts to provide a measure of accountability and justice for victims throughout Libya, noting that without trying the alleged perpetrators in The Hague or issuing other arrest warrants, the A large part of the unfinished business in Libya.
Source: Lawyers for Justice in Libya