Libya: ICC prosecutor seeks warrant for Gaddafi arrest on crimes against humanity; we can’t have lynch mob justice of Iraq ever again

Dear All

One of the scandals which became the cherry on the cake of the Iraqi debacle was the murder of Saddam Hussein.

Yes, murder, the Americans wrongly turned Saddam over to their puppet government and they duly executed him.

By hanging him!

You can google the video on youtube, it was a shameful episode which brought shame to the international community.

In Libya, Gaddafi is involved in a civil war which the West is playing a role supporting the rebels by way of air support and strategic bombing.

However, the longer the conflict goes on, the worse the country becomes, ground invasion by NATO is required.

But we have to be asked in by the rebels, air strikes never won a war.

Boots on the ground is the answer, sooner or later, that conclusion will be reached by NATO.

Then we come to the task of what to do with Gaddafi when he is caught.

He has to be turned over to the International Criminal Court, at present the chief prosecutor is seeking the arrest of Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi and two others for crimes against humanity.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Col Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanussi are responsible for "widespread and systematic attacks" on civilians.

That means he must be tried at The Hague, no lynch mob justice this time because it is convenient to solve multiple problems by way of a rope or bullet.

So, ICC judges must decide whether or not to issue warrants for their arrest.

But the handicap they face is that unless NATO is on the ground the warrants cannot be served.

The Libyans Rebels if they capture Gaddafi won’t be interested in trials rather they will be more concerned about AK47 justice.

The rebels are in need of command and control.

The Libyan government naturally has said it will ignore the announcement with Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Kaim saying the court was a "baby of the European Union designed for African politicians and leaders" and its practices were "questionable".

Libya did not recognise its jurisdiction.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo's call for the arrest of Col Gaddafi on war crimes charges is his second for a sitting head of state.

The war in Libya must not be allowed to drag on for the sake of the people; the country needs to be stable in order that civic government can operate once again.

Gaddafi must go, and pressure must be brought to bear to ensure this, that means invasion.

Now is not the time to be timid.

And it is better that the ICC gets their hands on Gaddafi than the rebels, it must be done to re-establish credibility in international law.

I would expect that the US would support such a move, we can't be the world's policemen if we operate de facto death squads in favour of law and due process.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University