ALBAWABA - The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court called Libya and other countries on Tuesday to assist in the arrest of six men allegedly linked to a vicious militia responsible for many deaths and other crimes in a strategically important western town where mass graves were discovered in 2020.
Karim Khan told the UN Security Council that he is willing to collaborate with the Libyan government and people, as well as nations that are party to the ICC and those that are not, to aid with the arrests.
The International Criminal Court lacks a police force and must rely on the assistance of its 124 member states to fulfill arrest warrants.
Between at least 2015 and June 2020, when government forces drove the Al Kaniyat militia out of Tarhuna, the six men were either important members of or connected to the group.
Khan told the council via video after seeing Tarhuna victims earlier Tuesday and hearing about their troubling situation. According to Khan, he entered "the areas where their loved ones were tortured and killed." He added that a Libyan civilian told him that "every household in Tarhuna has a victim".
"They have a steely determination. They have a clear conviction that justice and accountability and fair processes are essential for themselves, their families, their community, and for Libya at large," Khan added.
The ICC issued arrest warrants in early October for six men: Abdelrahim Al-Kani, Makhlouf Douma, Nasser Al-Lahsa, Mohammed Salheen, Abdelbari Al-Shaqaqi, and Fathi Al-Zinkal.
Khan said that at the time three of the men were leaders or prominent members of Al Kaniyat. Three other Libyan security personnel were involved with the group at the time of the alleged crimes.
