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State-party Security Council members praise ICC probe of Libya, urge arrests and transfers
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Summary
Representatives of Security Council members that are parties to the Rome Statute told the United Nations Security Council they welcome progress by the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor on Libya, cited an unsealed arrest warrant related to Mintiga Prison, and urged states to arrest and transfer individuals subject to ICC warrants.
Representatives of Security Council members that are parties to the Rome Statute delivered a statement to the United Nations Security Council praising recent progress by the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor on Libya and urging states to arrest and transfer people who are subject to ICC arrest warrants.
The statement, read on behalf of France, Greece, Guyana, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Sierra Leone, thanked ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan and his team for presenting their report to the Security Council and said, “We extend our sincere gratitude to the ICC prosecutor, mister Karim Khan, and his team for presenting the … report of his office to the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Libya.” The statement also said it regretted “that the prosecutor was unable to brief the council in person today as mandated by the Security Council.”
The speakers cited investigative advances by the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor and singled out the unsealing of an arrest warrant for Osama al Masriid Najim for alleged serious crimes committed at Mintiga Prison. The statement said this warrant is the first the court has issued in its line of inquiry into crimes committed in Libyan detention facilities.
The delegates noted the prosecutor’s team had increased outreach to Libyan civil society, reporting that the Libya team held more than 145 meetings with about 80 civil society organizations and that a deputy prosecutor convened with 38 civil society organizations to discuss a victim-centered approach. The statement said enhanced engagement with victims and survivors was important “to build existing trust and ensure that the voices of victims and survivors are heard.”
The statement reiterated that all states should meet obligations under the Rome Statute and cited Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011), saying this includes “arresting and transferring to the ICC individuals who are the subject of arrest warrants.” The representatives reaffirmed “our steadfast and unwavering support for the court as an independent and impartial judicial institution” and said they would defend the Rome Statute’s integrity against threats to the court, its officials or its partners.
The remarks were delivered as a statement by Security Council members that are parties to the Rome Statute rather than as a formal Security Council decision; the transcript records no vote or formal measure taken by the Council during this statement. The statement calls on states to execute existing legal obligations under the Rome Statute and Council Resolution 1970 (2011) but does not specify any next steps or timelines for arrest or transfer actions.
