ICC deadline for details of Saif trial looms

Libya’s new rulers still need to clarify legal status of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to the International Criminal Court.

Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan reports from Tripoli on the ICC deadline that the Libyan authorities face

Libya’s new leaders are facing a deadline to clarify the legal status of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The ICC judges had asked for further information on Libya’s request to try the influential son of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in his home country, and gave the National Transitional Council until Tuesday to present their intentions.

Abdurrahim El-Keib, Libya’s new prime minister, promised a fair trial for Saif al-Islam following his capture in the southern desert town of Obari in November.

In the first official announcement after Saif’s capture, El-Keib said he thought the arrest would “turn the page on the phase of revolution”.

Saif was arrested by fighters from Zintan, who make up one of Libya’s most powerful armed factions.

The ICC says it does not know whether Saif was arrested because of its warrant, or whether he has had access to a lawyer.

Along with his father and Abdullah Senoussi, Libya’s former intelligence chief who remains at large, Saif al-Islam was indicted by the ICC in June on crimes against humanity – charges relating to the Gaddafi regime’s efforts to put down the uprising.

Source: Al Jazeera