The National Transitional Council (NTC) must transfer Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to face investigation at the International Criminal Court (ICC), Amnesty International said after reports that he has been captured near the border with Niger.
"If reports are correct that Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi has been captured by the Libyan authorities, he must be handed over to the ICC, and his safety and rights must be guaranteed," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director (AI).
"After what happened after the capture of Mu’ammar and Mu’tassim al-Gaddafi, we hold the NTC responsible for preventing similar harm coming to Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, so that he can face justice for his alleged crimes in a fair trial with no death penalty."
"Investigating Saif al-Islam before the ICC offers an opportunity to ensure justice, truth and reparation for the victims of the crimes against humanity he is charged with committing against the Libyan people - justice that may have been denied with the apparently unlawful killing of Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi."
In June, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, along with Colonel Mu’ammar al-Gaddafi and former Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, on two counts of crimes against humanity – murder and persecution.
Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi must be allowed to surrender to the International Criminal Court to face investigation for crimes against humanity, Amnesty International said today amid reports that the fugitive son of Colonel al-Gaddafi is willing to turn himself in.
The ICC prosecutors said today the Court is in indirect contact with Saif Al-Islam over his possible surrender. Former Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, who is also wanted for crimes against humanity by the ICC, is also reportedly prepared to face justice in The Hague.
"If reports are correct that Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi and Abdullah al-Senussi are willing to hand themselves over to the International Criminal Court, they must be allowed to do so and their safety and rights must be guaranteed," said Marek Marczynski from Amnesty International's International Justice Team.
"The National Transitional Council and neighbouring governments must ensure their safe detention and prompt transfer to The Hague for investigation, whether they surrender voluntarily or are arrested and transferred."
In June, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, along with Colonel Mu’ammar al-Gaddafi and Abdullah al-Senussi, on two counts of crimes against humanity – murder and persecution.
Saif Al-Islam reportedly fled Libya to Niger, where he has taken refuge among Sahara nomads, following the killing of his father last week. Abdullah al-Senussi is reported to be in Mali.
Both men are believed to be at risk of suffering a similar fate to Mu’ammar al-Gaddafi and his son Mu’tassim al-Gaddafi, who were captured alive by anti-Gaddafi fighters and then allegedly killed.
"The NTC now has a responsibility to prevent similar harm coming to Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi and Abdullah al-Senussi, so that they can face justice for their alleged crimes in a fair trial," said Marek Marczynski.
"Investigating the men before the ICC offers an opportunity to ensure justice, truth and reparation for the victims of the crimes against humanity they are charged with committing against the Libyan people - justice that may have been denied if the unlawful killing of Colonel Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi is confirmed."
The reported death of Colonel Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi would bring to close a chapter of Libya's history marked by repression and abuse but would not end the story, Amnesty International said today.
“The legacy of repression and abuse from Colonel Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi's rule will not end until there is a full accounting for the past and until human rights are embedded in Libya's new institutions,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director for North Africa and the Middle East at Amnesty International. "Colonel al-Gaddafi’s death must not stop his victims in Libya from seeing justice being done. The many Libyan officials suspected of serious human rights violations committed during and before this year's uprising, including the infamous Abu Salim prison massacre in 1996, must answer for their crimes."
"The new authorities must make a complete break from the culture of abuse that Colonel al-Gaddafi’s regime perpetuated and must initiate the human rights reforms that are urgently needed in the country."
Amnesty International called on the NTC to make public information about how Colonel al-Gaddafi died, making the full facts available to the Libyan people.
The organization said it was essential to conduct a full, independent and impartial inquiry to establish the circumstances of Colonel al-Gaddafi’s death.
Amnesty International called on the NTC to ensure that all those suspected of human rights abuses and war crimes, including Colonel al-Gaddafi's inner circle and family members, are treated humanely and, if captured, given fair trials.
The UN Security Council’s response to the recent bloodshed in Syria is deeply inadequate, Amnesty International said today, after the council released a statement condemning the Syrian government’s deadly crackdown on protesters.
The UN statement called for an end to violence and said it “condemned the widespread violation of human rights by the Syrian authorities”, but fell short of taking decisive action. The call was issued as a presidential statement, which is not legally binding.
“The UN’s response is completely inadequate. After more than four months of violent crackdown on predominantly peaceful dissent in Syria, it is deeply disappointing that the best the Security Council can come up with is a limp statement that is not legally binding and does not refer the situation to the International Criminal Court”, said Jose Luis Diaz, Amnesty International’s representative to the UN.
“President Assad has allowed his security forces to carry out another bloody attack on civilians, with dozens killed in the city of Hama in recent days. It’s crucial that a UN Human Rights Council fact-finding mission to Syria is able to investigate the situation as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the Security Council has also failed to provide support for such a mission”, he said.
The Syrian authorities have so far not allowed the UN fact-finding delegation into the country.
“The UN must act now, with a firm and legally binding position. At the very least, its position must include imposing an arms embargo, freezing the assets of President al-Assad and other officials suspected of responsibility for crimes against humanity, and referring the situation to the ICC Prosecutor,” he added.
Amnesty International has received the names of more than 1,500 people believed to have been killed since pro-reform protests began in mid-March. Many of them are reported to be protesters and local residents shot by live ammunition from the security forces and the army.
Thousands of others have been arrested within the context of the protests, with many being held incommunicado at unknown locations.
Families are reportedly afraid to seek information about the whereabouts of detained relatives and Amnesty International fears they may have been subjected to enforced disappearances. Many are reported to have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated in custody, in some cases resulting in death."
The crimes committed in Syria by government forces amount to crimes against humanity as they appear to be part of a widespread, as well as systematic, attack against the civilian population, Amnesty International said.
The organisation has repeatedly called on the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court, as it did with Libya’s government in February, following the violent repression of protests there.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is responsible for assessing and communicating food safety in the European Union, for everything from C(GMOs) to pesticides. However EFSA has recently been criticised because its scientific assessments of new GM crops and pesticides rely almost exclusively on corporate research data.
Some EFSA experts have also been accused of being too close to the food and drink industry. Several cases of ‘revolving doors’ (where EFSA employees move straight to industry, or from industry to EFSA) and conflicts of interest have been highlighted. Now, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) has discovered that three EFSA board members are advisors for Big Food companies, working through industry-funded think tanks which aim to manipulate political and scientific debate concerning food risks. A fourth member of the board is director of a fund which has shares in a company selling GM feed. Those conflicts of interest risk influencing the judgement of these board members when involved in EFSA’s work, in particular when they establish work programmes and appoint members of the agency’s scientific committee and panels.
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