Libya on Monday freed four envoys of the International Criminal
Court, including Lebanese interpreter Helene Assaf, who were detained after
visiting the son of slain leader Moammar Gadhafi last month, a brigade
commander and an official said.
"The four members (of the ICC team) were released," Ajmi
al-Atiri, commander of a brigade holding Seif al-Islam Gadhafi told journalists
in Zintan, a hilltop town southwest of Tripoli.
The four, including Australian lawyer Melinda Taylor, have been
held in Zintan since June 7 after traveling there to help prepare Seif
al-Islam's defense. Assaf is Taylor’s interpreter.
Taylor was accused of carrying a pen camera and attempting to give
Seif al-Islam a coded letter from his former right-hand man, Mohammed Ismail,
who is wanted by the Libyan authorities.
Libya accused the team of "breaching national security."
Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdelaziz said the release
was the result of an agreement between his country and the ICC, which committed
to continue investigations and keep Libya in the loop of its findings.
He added that the "four ICC envoys will leave Libya later in
the day."
The other two ICC envoys are Russian Alexander Khodakov and
Esteban Peralta Losilla from Spain.
The ambassadors of all countries concerned were present during the
release.
ICC president Sang-Hyung Song, speaking at the same news
conference in Zintan, thanked the Libyan authorities for mediating the release
of the court's legal team.
"The ICC is grateful to the Libyan authorities for making the
necessary arrangements to allow the release of the ICC members," Song
said.
"I wish to apologize for the difficulties which arose due to
these events. There will be an investigation following the return of (the ICC)
members to The Hague. Any member found with any misconduct will face
appropriate sanction."
Following the announcement, a late lunch was served for South
Korea's Song and the newly released ICC envoys who appeared to be in good
health, Agence France Presse reported.
Taylor and Assaf were dressed in black abayas, a loose cloak worn
by some women in parts of the Muslim world, and matching Islamic headscarves,
AFP added.
The ordeal of the ICC legal team might not be over just yet.
Abdel Aziz said the four had been summoned to a Libyan court on
July 23 to complete the judicial process which was set in motion by the
prosecutor general's investigations.
Any verdict would be transferred by the ICC for follow-up, he
said, adding: "The ICC has agreed to keep Libyan authorities informed on
the results of its investigations."
It was unclear whether they would have to return to Libya for the
case or be tried in absentia.
Libyan officials have said that the actions of the ICC team
represented a "breach of national security," a matter Tripoli did not
take lightly, despite its declared commitment to cooperate with the court.
Ajmi said on Monday that he had anticipated there would be
attempts to free Seif al-Islam by supporters of the former regime but not by
members of a renowned international institution.
"What is regrettable is that these acts were carried out by
an international institution which we respect and that played an important role
during the Libyan revolution," he said.
The ICC wants to try Seif al-Islam, 40, for crimes against
humanity allegedly committed last year when his father's regime attempted in
vain to crush a popular uprising.
Tripoli insists he should be tried before a Libyan court and filed
a motion on May 1 challenging the jurisdiction of the International Criminal
Court.
But it has failed to secure the prisoner's transfer to Tripoli
from Zintan, where has been held since his capture November 19.
Leading rights group on Monday welcomed the release of the ICC
delegates as a positive development but stressed the detention of the legal
team was unacceptable and a distraction from Seif al-Islam's proceedings.
Richard Dicker of Human Rights Watch said Libya had "no
right" to detain ICC staff for nearly a month, noting Taylor's meeting
with Seif al-Islam was covered by lawyer-client rules of confidentiality.
"Libya was under legal obligation to respect the immunity of
the court staff. If the Libyan authorities had any concerns about their
conduct, they should have submitted a complaint to the court," he said.
Marek Marczynski of Amnesty International said the detention of
the ICC staffers marked a "totally unacceptable" denial of liberty
which prevented them from performing their functions.
"It has also undermined Seif al-Islam Gadhafi’s right to an
effective defense and delayed the ICC's decision on the Libyan authorities’
recent application to bring him to trial in Libyan courts," he said.
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