Libya renews bid for trial of Gaddafi son

09/10/2012| IslamWeb

 Libya is to challenge the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to try Saif al-Islam, one of the sons of Muammar Gaddafi, the country's late leader.

 Saif was indicted by the ICC for alleged crimes against humanity after reportedly organizing a campaign of murder and torture in an attempt to quash last year's uprising against his father.

 The 40-year-old was captured by armed fighters in southern Libya in November 2011.

 Libyan officials object to the trial being held at the ICC, hosted by the Netherlands in The Hague, and want Saif to face justice on Libyan soil. A two-day hearing in The Hague, beginning on Tuesday, will discuss the objection.

 Saif's lawyer has said that he would not receive a fair trial in Libya, where he could face the death penalty.

 But Musa Alkouni, a political analyst and a former member of Libya's National Transitional Council, believes the country is ready to try Gaddafi.

 "The judicial system is back on track and slowly starting to try all the previous regime's figures, and they are a part of the regime and if one part is missing how can we trace other parts," said Alkouni.

 "So the trial of Saif is important to try all these people and groups as a whole."

 Speaking to the AP news agency, Mohamed Abdullah, a resident of Tripoli, said: "We don't tolerate the trial of regime figures, including Saif, outside of Libya.

 "The Libyan judicial system is fair and just and it has been fully activated and they should be tried quickly."

 

PHOTO CAPTION

 Saif al-Islam, son of the late former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, sits after his capture, with his fingers wrapped in bandages and his legs covered with a blanket, at an undisclosed location, in this photograph aired on Free Libya TV on November 19, 2011

 Aljazeera