ICC: holds hearing on Saif ul Islam trial
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is holding its first public hearing in the case of Saif al-Islam who is accused of war crimes.His ICC lawyers have argued he will not receive a fair trial in Libya, whilst the Libyan government has reiterated that he will be tried in Libya.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/ICC-holds-heari...
Lawyer Melinda Taylor - who spent nearly a month in detention after she and three other members of the defence team were arrested in Libya after visiting Saif al - Islam in June in Zintan, were accused of interfering in state security by passing a letter to Saif al -Islam from an associate wanted by the Libyan government. Whatever the merits of that incident it has dicredited the ICC in Libyan eyes.
Melinda Taylor said Libya's lawyers are misleading the ICC, by saying a possible death sentence for Saif al-Islam could be commuted, AFP reported.Libyan lawyer Ahmed al-Jehani called for the international community to "be patient", telling ICC judges the Libyan authorities "needed time" to organise a fair trial for Saif Gaddafi and that they had not ruled outsome ICC involvement.
One of the lawyers representing Libya, Philippe Sands, confirmed that Saif al-Islam is still being held by the Zintan Brigade in Libya, saying he would be transferred to a secure detention facility in Tripoli before the trial.
The ICC is unlikely to be able to have Saif al-Islam transfered to the Hague but it may still have some influence on the way the trial is conducted. Nothing further has been heard about thetrail of Gaddafi's security chief Abdullah al-Senussi who is also wanted by the ICC , France and the United States.
Melinda Taylor said Libya's lawyers are misleading the ICC, by saying a possible death sentence for Saif al-Islam could be commuted, AFP reported.Libyan lawyer Ahmed al-Jehani called for the international community to "be patient", telling ICC judges the Libyan authorities "needed time" to organise a fair trial for Saif Gaddafi and that they had not ruled outsome ICC involvement.
One of the lawyers representing Libya, Philippe Sands, confirmed that Saif al-Islam is still being held by the Zintan Brigade in Libya, saying he would be transferred to a secure detention facility in Tripoli before the trial.
The ICC is unlikely to be able to have Saif al-Islam transfered to the Hague but it may still have some influence on the way the trial is conducted. Nothing further has been heard about thetrail of Gaddafi's security chief Abdullah al-Senussi who is also wanted by the ICC , France and the United States.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/ICC-holds-heari...