On the Start of the Mandate of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Mr. Karim Khan, Q.C., and the Libyan Situation before the Court

Today, Wednesday, June 16, 2021, marks the beginning of Mr. Karim Khan’s term as Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and despite it has been more than a decade since the UN Security Council referred the Libyan case to the ICC, no progress has been made in the Libyan situation at the ICC other than the issuance of arrest warrants against five Libyan individuals accused of grave crimes. None of the five defendants has appeared before the Court, and impunity has worsened and more widespread. 

While, Human Rights Solidarity Organization (HRS) appreciates the investigation efforts made by the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the Court in the Libyan case, and the obstacles it faces, on top of which is the lack of cooperation of the Libyan state and some other countries in implementing the arrest warrants, HRS hopes that the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC to double its efforts, and to consider holding commanders and other leaders accountable for the serious crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC.

HRS believes that the main reason behind the exacerbation of impunity is not only the absence of the rule of law, the proliferation of weapons and the failure to dismantle militias and armed groups, but the most important reason behind the exacerbation of impunity is the unwillingness of the Libyan authorities to combat impunity, and its justification and incitement of some commanders to commit serious violations.