Libya plans to appeal an International Criminal Court ruling to turn over Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, son of former ruler Moammar Gadhafi.
TRIPOLI, Libya — Libya will appeal a ruling by the International Criminal Court to hand over Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son of former ruler Moammar Gadhafi, to the tribunal, the state LANA news agency reported Sunday.
"We will give what is needed to convince the ICC that Libya is capable of conducting a fair trial in accordance with international standards," Justice Minister Salah al-Marghani said.
Libya has challenged the ICC's right to put Saif al-Islam on trial on the grounds that since it is planning its own proceedings, the international court in The Hague had no jurisdiction because it should intervene only if the local legal system is not up to the task.
"Libya will appeal the decision. ... A team of Libyan and international experts is working on preparing the appeal," al-Marghani said.
Few expect Libya to surrender Saif al-Islam to the ICC, which wants to try him for alleged crimes committed during the 2011 uprising that toppled his father.
ICC judges on Friday rejected Libya's position, saying Libyan government lawyers had not proved their authorities were investigating the same crimes as the international prosecutors.
They also questioned whether Libya had full custody over Saif al-Islam, something they would need if they were to try him. The British-educated 40-year-old is in the custody of his rebel captors in the western mountain city of Zintan, where the Libyan government's authority is weak.
Saif al-Islam was a powerful figure in his father's government and has been accused of orchestrating brutal reprisals against anti-Gadhafi protesters.
Libya's new rulers are keen to try Gadhafi loyalists at home to show the country's citizens that those who helped Gadhafi stay in power for 42 years are being punished. Human rights activists worry that a weak government and rule of law in Libya may mean that legal proceedings there will not meet international standards.
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| File. Saif al-Islam, son of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, smiles as he greets supporters in Tripoli, Libya. |
TRIPOLI, Libya — Libya will appeal a ruling by the International Criminal Court to hand over Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son of former ruler Moammar Gadhafi, to the tribunal, the state LANA news agency reported Sunday.
"We will give what is needed to convince the ICC that Libya is capable of conducting a fair trial in accordance with international standards," Justice Minister Salah al-Marghani said.
Libya has challenged the ICC's right to put Saif al-Islam on trial on the grounds that since it is planning its own proceedings, the international court in The Hague had no jurisdiction because it should intervene only if the local legal system is not up to the task.
"Libya will appeal the decision. ... A team of Libyan and international experts is working on preparing the appeal," al-Marghani said.
Few expect Libya to surrender Saif al-Islam to the ICC, which wants to try him for alleged crimes committed during the 2011 uprising that toppled his father.
They also questioned whether Libya had full custody over Saif al-Islam, something they would need if they were to try him. The British-educated 40-year-old is in the custody of his rebel captors in the western mountain city of Zintan, where the Libyan government's authority is weak.
Saif al-Islam was a powerful figure in his father's government and has been accused of orchestrating brutal reprisals against anti-Gadhafi protesters.
Libya's new rulers are keen to try Gadhafi loyalists at home to show the country's citizens that those who helped Gadhafi stay in power for 42 years are being punished. Human rights activists worry that a weak government and rule of law in Libya may mean that legal proceedings there will not meet international standards.
