After months of brutal war, the last remaining bastion of Gaddafi’s forces, Sirte, has been liberated. However, the victory is marred by reports that Colonel Gaddafi, while captured, has died of wounds sustained during the battle.
“Colonel Gaddafi does not deserve the honour of a battlefield death; his victims deserved that justice be done for the crimes committed against them”, said Alison Smith, Legal Counsel of No Peace Without Justice, speaking on behalf of No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) and the Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty (NRPTT).
“Colonel Gaddafi’s crimes should have been exposed to the world in a court of law, through a fair trial by an independent court, conducted in full respect of the human rights he had denied to so many thousands of Libyans during his regime. His death, if confirmed, denies justice to his victims who will not have the opportunity to face him in court and obtain the redress that is rightfully theirs.
“For the same reasons, we equally regret reports earlier this month of the death of Gaddafi’s co-accused, Abdullah Al-Senussi, colonel in the Libyan Armed Forces and head of the Military Intelligence under Gaddafi. It is now imperative that all efforts are expended to find, capture and transfer Saif Al-Islam, the son of Gaddafi and the last remaining fugitive from the ICC for crimes against humanity in Libya.
“The people of Libya deserve and demand justice and redress for the past, to lay the ground for a better, stable future for a new Libya based on human rights and the rule of law.”
NPWJ runs a Transitional Justice program in Libya, assisting civil society and nascent institutions in establishing truth and justice mechanisms and processes. For further information, contact Alison Smith on asmith@npwj.org or +32-2-548-3912 /+ 218 919386116 or Nicola Giovannini onngiovannini@npwj.org or +32-2-548-39135.
