Fair Trials?

With Gaddafi killed as well as his son Mutassim, attention has now been focused on Saif al-Islam, Muammar's most dangerous and loyal son. Recent reports say Saif is in Niger, exiled from Libya. Having been thought to been in Bani Walid, Libyan rebels lost track of him and was able to escape into hiding. Saif al-Islam has a warrant from the ICC, and this is the sticking point in the final stages of the revolution. Wanted by the international court for crimes against humanity, Saif al-Islam is a hot topic, specifically because many in Libya would like to have him tried in Libya. But many fear that if he was tried in Libya, a repeat of what happened to his father would occur. With the ever increasing suspicion that Muammar Gaddafi was executed by the mob that found and captured him, and new footage showing graphic footage of a bloody Gaddafi being violently jostled and even stabbed by the crowd. With this new development, the NTC has stated that they will put those responsible for Gaddafi's death on trial. How this plays out will be interesting. The sentiment of most Libyans is of extreme hatred of Gaddafi. I mean that's understandable, he made their lives living hell day in and day out. But with the trial of the people who killed him, those sentiments could cause many to get upset. The last thing the NTC wants right now is to lose support from their people. But, hopefully many will overcome their bind hatred now that he is dead. If most Libyans can look past the hatred that built up over the last forty years, then maybe the NTC won't have such a problem and people will realize that the trial is necessary to uphold human rights.

With this insistence on fair trials being held in Libya, the news that Saif al-Islam is in informal talks with the ICC, who would have Saif tried in The Hague rather than in Libya, is full of tension. An ICC spokesman says he has substantial evidence that Saif was involved in the planning of bombing and shooting at civilians, as well as paying and transporting mercenaries from foreign countries. Libyans and the NTC  say that it would be the best if Saif was tried in Libya, and that it would be the only way that the Libya people can get any sort of closure. Seeing that the ICC has no police force, it all relies on what Niger decides to do. Niger is an ICC member state, meaning they have an obligation to arrest Saif is an order is given. But whether or not they do will decide whether the ICC has any chance of trying Saif. With this development, international pressure is high over the trial of one man. And with this pressure, it will be decided whether or not the international community is ready to trust the NTC with judicial power.