No Amnesty For War Crimes In Libya

International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Fatou Bensouda addresses the Security Council. UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Hague Prosecutor Urges Libya Not To Grant Amnesty For War Crimes -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Libya should not grant amnesty for war crimes committed during last year's uprising against former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, regardless of who committed them, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said on Wednesday.

In her first official presentation to the U.N. Security Council as The Hague-based court's top prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda said that the ICC's pre-trial chamber would decide "in due course" on whether the late Libyan leader's son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi should be tried in Libya or The Hague.

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Update #1: International Criminal Court prosecutor calls on Libyan authorities to ensure no impunity -- UN News Centre
Update #2: Prosecutor expects Libya’s cooperation if judges rule Gadhafi’s son should be tried by ICC -- Washington Post/AP

My Comment: Libya has bigger problems to focus on than accommodating the Hague.

Should "Aggression" Be A Crime Under International Law?

US Opposes ICC Bid To Make 'Aggression' A Crime Under International Law -- Christian Science Monitor

The Obama administration has resisted efforts by the International Criminal Court to include 'aggression' as a crime, mainly because it could impact US military operations abroad.

The United States under the Obama administration has developed an increasingly close working relationship with the International Criminal Court in The Hague. But that growing engagement with a controversial institution of international law was unable to prevent the ICC from expanding the scope of its work to include the murky crime of “aggression,” a move the US had vehemently opposed.

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My Comment: Like most international bodies, political interference and self interests are always the priority .... forget about some common purpose and goal. Some in the U.S. may hope the ICC will go beyond this "business as usual" mindset .... but I am not so optimistic.