Libya Appeals ICC Bid to Extradite Gadhafi Son
Libya, which wants Moammar Gadhafi’s son Seif al-Islam tried at home, on Tuesday appealed a ruling by the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) that he be handed over to the world court.
The ICC, which wants to try Seif on charges of crimes against humanity for his role in battling last year's uprising which toppled his father, issued a ruling on April 4 calling for his immediate transfer from prison in Libya to prison in The Hague.
"The Government of Libya submits that the chamber committed a serious error of law" and wants it to "overturn" its earlier decision, Libya's legal representatives said in the document released by the court Tuesday.
The Libyan government will detail why it considers the ICC incompetent to judge the case in a submission to be made on April 30, its representatives added.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Seif in February 2011 when Gadhafi-loyal forces were involved in an attempt to crush the so-called "Arab Spring" rebellion.
Seif, 39, was arrested on November 19 in southern Libya, and is expected to be transferred from Zenten to Tripoli in the coming days, Ahmed Jehani, Libya's representative to the ICC said Sunday.
ICC defense official Xavier-Jean Keita has alleged that Seif has been attacked while in detention in Libya and should therefore be transferred to prison in the Hague.
Libyan deputy Justice Minister Khalifa Ashour told journalists in Tripoli earlier Tuesday that his country was ready "to carry out the trials of members of the former regime, be it those who are in the country or those who will be extradited."
Source: Agence France Presse
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