Four envoys of the
International Criminal Court detained in Zintan last month after visiting the
son of slain leader Moammar Qaddafi, flew out of Libya on Monday, an ICC
spokesperson confirmed.
"The President of the
International Criminal Court [ICC], Judge Sang-Hyun Song, together with four
ICC staff members previously detained in Zintan, Libya... have left Tripoli to
return tonight [Monday] to The Hague, the Netherlands," said Fadi El-Abdallah,
spokesperson for the ICC in a statement.
And on Tuesday, Australia
thanked Libyan authorities for helping to secure the release of lawyer Melinda
Taylor following three weeks in detention, saying she was in good spirits after
being freed.
"This is the news we’ve
been hoping for – a swift end to Melinda Taylor’s detention and the resolution
of what has been a protracted diplomatic negotiation," Foreign Minister
Bob Carr said.
Taylor was among the
four-person ICC team of envoys who were detained on June 7 after visiting a son
of former dictator Moammar Qaddafi in the town of Zintan, southwest of Tripoli.
"I thank the Libyan
authorities – in particular Prime Minister [Abdel Rahim] al-Keib and Deputy
Foreign Minister [Mohammed] Aziz, whose personal intervention was instrumental
in bringing this matter to a close," Carr said.
"I also acknowledge
the goodwill shown by Zintan authorities in coordinating Ms. Taylor’s
release."
Carr said Taylor had been
taken to a military airbase in Libya, where she would board an Italian military
aircraft bound for Rome.
"[She] is in very good
spirits, and is looking forward to being reunited with her family," he
said.
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