The Hague based ICC Pre-Trial Chamber, on June 27, issued arrest warrants to the Libyan leader alongside his son Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi and the head of military intelligence, Abdullah Al-Senoussi for crimes against humanity committed in Libya in February 2011.
In its resolution 1970, the UN had stressed the obligation for Libya to cooperate with the ICC. "The first option is Gaddafi's aides", Ocampo said. "They can be part of the problem and be prosecuted, or they can be part of the solution, work together with the other Libyans and stop the crimes".
Another option would be that the suspects be arrested by the Transitional National Council (TNC). "We have to do it on our own" claimed on Monday Mohammed El-Alagi, who is in charge of Justice within the TNC.
According to Luis Moreno Ocampo, NATO has nothing to do with the arrest warrants. "International forces have no specific mandate to implement arrest warrants and the Court is not asking for that", he declared on Tuesday.
The Libyan conflict situation between the rebels and Gaddafi's government forces was referred to the ICC by the United Nations Security Council on February 26, 2011.
On 3 March 2011, the ICC Prosecutor decided to open an investigation and requested, on 16 May 2011, the issuance of the arrest warrants.
On Tuesday also, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for the first time referred one of its cases to the Rwandan judiciary for prosecution.
The case involves Jean Uwinkindi, a pastor at the Pentecostal Church in the eastern part of the country. The ruling is not a final one as the pastor has the right to appeal.
The Tribunal states in a press release: ‘'the chamber was satisfied that the government of Rwanda was prepared to receive its first referral from the ICTR.''
In Paris, Agathe Habyarimana, widow of former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarima declared that she wanted the French judiciary to take care of her case as she was appearing before an Appeals court in Paris on June 29.
Rwanda had requested France in December 2009 to extradite Agathe on grounds of seven genocide counts.
Appearing before the Parisian court in a green boubou, Agathe declared: "I would like the French judiciary to take care of my case so you could see, Mr. President, that I am a victim of Rwandan government lies". The Appeals court decision is expected on September 28.
In Rwanda on Tuesday this week prosecution asked a court to hand down life imprisonment sentence to the former Advisor to President Habyarimana, Runyinya Barabwiriza.
Barabwiriza who was in-charge of diplomatic matters at the Presidency was arrested in 1994 and brought before a court in Huye, South Rwanda in April this year. He is accused of planning genocide, incitement to commit genocide and distribution of weapons. The judgment will be delivered on July 28, 2011.
NI/ER/GF
© Hirondelle News Agency