The International Criminal Court, ICC, prosecutor has pledged his commitment to delivering Justice against crimes committed in Libya.
According to the Prosecutor of the ICC, Karim Khan, this situation cannot be a never-ending story, Justice delayed may not always be Justice denied, but Justice that can still be arrived at.
In his key prosecutorial role for under a year, Mr Khan is having to reckon with multiple alleged perpetrators of crimes against humanity, and war crimes, together with three unexecuted warrants of arrest, amid a politically divided nation that continues to suffer from widespread impunity, stemming from the overthrow of the long-term ruler, Muammar Gaddafi, in 2011.
The internationally-recognized government in Tripoli is still at odds with a rival administration and parliamentary authority in the east, while a “deepening crackdown” on civil society is having a “chilling effect on human rights defenders”, according to the UN rights office, OHCHR, in a report last month.
Presenting the 23rd report on the Libyan file, Mr Khan said survivors and the families of victims are waiting for Justice, and the report contains benchmarks for the first time to help move cases forward.
“Our new approach prioritises the voices of survivors”, he said. “To do so, we must move closer to them. We cannot conduct investigations, we cannot build trust while working at arms-length from those affected.”
He said the first pillar of the new approach is to prioritise the referrals made by the Council by allocating additional resources and focusing on enhancing financial investigation, together with increased capacity in investigating sexual and gender-based crimes.
To accelerate investigations, his team is also harnessing the power of new technology, including artificial intelligence and machine learning to support the transcription and translation of Arabic language documentary, video and audio files.
The second is a commitment to empowering witnesses and survivors to participate in the Office’s work. The Hague, where the Court is based, is far from Libya. It is impossible to establish meaningful relationships with victims by engaging at arms’ length.
He told ambassadors that it is vital to work shoulder-to-shoulder with the affected communities.
“We need to be more on the ground,” he said, adding that the Office is establishing an enhanced field presence.
The third is to strengthen engagement with Libyan authorities, focusing on supporting national accountability efforts based on the principle of complementarity.
Where national authorities can take forward genuine proceedings, his Office should be there to support, he said.
