ICC prosecutor demands handover of Libyan fugitives

UNITED NATIONS, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, on Wednesday asked the UN Security Council for help in the arrest and surrender of three fugitives wanted by the court, including Mahmoud Mustafa Busayf al-Werfalli, the commander of an elite unit of the Libyan National Army (LNA).

"I repeat my call to this council to engage with my office and lend your support in assisting with strategies for the arrest and surrender of ICC fugitives in Libya," Bensouda told the Security Council. "Once again, I appeal to all states, including members of this council, the Libya authorities and the LNA, to facilitate Mr. al-Werfalli's immediate arrest and surrender to the court."

The handover of al-Werfalli is now more important than ever, not only for him to answer for his alleged crimes, but to also send a clear message to would-be perpetrators that such reprehensible crimes will not be tolerated and that there will be real consequences for the commission of such crimes, she said.

Despite a warrant of arrest against al-Werfalli in August 2017 for his alleged role in committing or ordering seven executions that resulted in the murder of 33 people, photographs and video footage emerged on social media in January 2018 that appeared to depict al-Werfalli brutally murdering 10 people in front of a mosque in Benghazi. The execution was reportedly carried out in retaliation for bombings at the same mosque a day before.

Bensouda said the LNA's claim that it was investigating al-Werfalli did not appear credible.

She also wanted the arrest and surrender of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the second son of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, and Al-Tuhamy Mohamed Khaled, the former head of the Libyan Internal Security Agency.

Continued failure to secure the arrest and surrender of ICC suspects in Libya emboldens those already committing crimes, warned the prosecutor. Enditem