Gadhafi son can face crimes against humanity case – ICC judges

The International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled that a crimes
against humanity case can be brought against Seif al-Islam, son of
the later Libyan dictator Moamer Gadhafi, rejecting a challenge
from his defence team.

The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber in a statement said it had decided by
a majority vote that “the case against Mr Gaddafi was admissible
before the court”.

Seif al-Islam, 46, has been sought by the international court in
The Hague over crimes allegedly committed in February 2011 during
the suppression of a popular revolt in Libya.

He was captured by a Libyan militia in November 2011, days after
his father was killed in a NATO-backed uprising against his
decades-old rule.

In 2015 a Tripoli court sentenced him to death in absentia along
with eight other Kadhafi-era figures.

The armed group who captured him later announced that he had
been released and his whereabouts remain unknown.

His lawyers had argued to the ICC that he was now sought for
substantially the same crimes that he had already been tried for in
Tripoli.

But the ICC judges decided that the Tripoli court decision
remained subject to appeal and, as it was rendered in absentia,
left open the possibility of reinstituting judicial
proceedings.