International Criminal Court (ICC)The International Criminal Court (ICC) is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. It came into being on 1 July 2002 - the date the Rome Treaty entered into force. The ICC can only prosecute crimes committed on or after the date. The Court's official seat is in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Topic Overview
Case of Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi Saif al-Islam Gaddafi (the accused, also known as the second oldest son of Muammar Gaddafi), is charged with two counts of crimes against humanity: murder, within the meaning of Article 7(1)(a) and Persecution, within the meaning of Article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute. These charges are brought in connection with his role during the attacks on Libyan civilians, demonstrating against the Gaddafi regime, beginning in mid-February 2011. He was known to be the second most influential person in the Libyan government after his father. It is alleged that he furthered the state policy to keep demonstrators from endangering the power of Gaddafi, even at the expense of killing civilians, which was carried out by the security forces. On June 27, 2011, Pre Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court fulfilled the request for an arrest warrant against Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, issued by the Prosecutor, which was based on the UN Security Council Resolution 1970. In November 2011, Saif was captured in Libya and is currently in custody with the National Transition Council there. Although there are discussions on whether or not he should be tried in Libya, the ICC has established its jurisdiction and the actual trial (which has not started yet) will be simulated at EuroMUN this year, since the question of how the international community will deal with the ex-leaders of the countries of the Arab Spring is a highly delicate and current one.Read More
