The International Crim-inal Court (ICC) has ordered the arrest of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and two other senior government officials.
Judges at the court approved warrants for the arrest of Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi and military intelligence chief Abdallah al-Sanussi for alleged crimes against humanity, including murder.
The Gaddafi arrest warrant has been welcomed by the international community.
“Justice must be delivered to the victims of serious human rights abuses committed in Libya during and following the brutal repression of pro-reform protests earlier this year,” said Colm O’Gorman, executive director of Amnesty International Ireland.
He added that any failure to arrest and prosecute the accused men would send a disturbing message that the international community will allow these crimes to go unpunished.
“No one should be allowed to evade international justice,” he said.
The Libyan leader and his officials are accused of ordering a wave of killings and enforced disappearances of both suspected critics of the government and opposition following wave of protests last February against his 41 years of rule.
Amnesty International says it has repeatedly highlighted evidence of possible crimes against humanity and war crimes. These include what it alleges is a pattern of repeated and widespread indiscriminate attacks by Gaddafi’s forces on residential areas in Misratah, using ‘Grad’ rockets, mortars and cluster bombs.
The ICC arrest warrant against Col Gaddafi is the second time one has been issued for a sitting head of state. Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir is facing arrest since 2009 on charges of genocide, crimes and humanity and war crimes.
