United Nations published this video item, entitled “Libya: lack of belief in justice & peace but not “mission impossible”-ICC Security Council Briefing” – below is their description.
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, emphasized that while there is a lack of belief in the delivery of justice and the possibility of peace in Libya, it is not “mission impossible.”
For the first time ever today (9 Nov), an ICC prosecutor addressed the Security Council from Libya, noticed Khan, and added, “it is also the first time that the prosecutor of the ICC has been to Libya in a decade.”
The ICC prosecutor said, “There is fatigue in Libya. There is this sentiment that we heard it all before: “What is the international community doing? What is the ICC doing? We talk about justice, but we do not see it, and we don’t feel it.” One survivor said, “We keep hearing about justice; we keep hearing about the ICC. Where are the results?” We need these promises to be turned into reality.”
He emphasized, “We can’t allow a sentiment to become pervasive that impunity is inevitable.”
He also stated, “The International Criminal Court is not an Apex court, it is a hub, and we need to work together to make sure that there is less space for impunity and greater efforts at accountability.”
Khan continued, “If we are willing to forge new partnerships, if we are willing to look at new ways of working together if we are willing to coalesce around human values, not just legal norms – but those legal norms emerge and spring from those human values – I do believe we can do much better in delivering justice for the people of Libya and hopefully that would assist in a wider hope for sustainable peace in this very ancient and wonderful land.”
Also addressing the Security Council today, Taher M. T. Elsonni, Permanent Representative of Libya to the United Nations, reaffirmed Libya’s commitment to holding accountable and punishing perpetrators of crimes and violations “under our national law sooner or later, no matter the challenges.”
He added, “Achieving justice on the Libyan territory is a sovereign and national jurisdiction. The Libyan judiciary is committed to guaranteeing a fair trial for all suspects, no matter how long it takes.”
Following the Security Council meeting, the Permanent Representative of Mexico, Ambassador Juan Ramón de la Fuente, talked to the press on behalf of the Members of the Security Council, as well as incoming Members that are States Parties to the Rome Statute of ICC: Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, France, Ireland, Norway, the United Kingdom, Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Switzerland, and Mexico.
He said, “We welcome that concrete actions have been taken in cooperation with relevant national authorities leading to an acceleration of evidence collections, the arrest of suspects, and a significant deepening of engagement with affected communities, victims, survivor groups, and civil society organizations.”
He also welcomed “that for the first time since the start of the investigation in 2011, the office of the prosecutor has maintained a constant presence in the region. This strengthened the office’s ability to address practical, logistical, and security challenges associated with the investigation in a flexible manner.”
United Nations YouTube Channel
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