Saif al-Islam Gaddafi captured in Libya

According to transitional government officials, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been arrested in Libya’s southern desert region. Muammar Gaddafi’s second son, on the run since the fall of the regime, was detained in good health along with several bodyguards by fighters near the town of Obari while trying to flee to neighbouring Niger, assured a militia commander. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has charged him with crimes against humanity for the fierce repression against civilian protesters in February, although Saif al-Islam claimed his innocence last month. Nevertheless, Libyan officials are not willing being Saif al-Islam before the ICC in The Hague. The Libyan Justice Minister has claimed that Saif al-Islam will face trial in Libya with the presence of international observers, in coordination with the ICC.

Sources:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/19/saif-al-islam-gaddafi-captured
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/11/20111119111936535209.html

This piece of news raises the question of whether international justice should step in when judging leaders in war-torn countries. If Saif al-Islam Gaddafi faces justice at home, the people who have fought for a new Libya would probably feel that the whole war was worthwhile. But is the current Libyan institutional and legal framework strong enough to hold such a trial? The fact that Saif al-Islam has been captured instead of executed without a fair trial shows that Libya is somehow willing to adjust to international standards, thus avoiding another controversy like the one surrounding Gaddafi’s arbitrary killing. On the other hand, if Saif al-Islam was brought before the ICC, this recently established “world court” would gain voice and support from numerous states, widening its now limited scope of action. A first step, even, towards the end of impunity.