Col Gaddafi's death may be a war crime, says ICC

Tripoli, Dec 16: The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said that the death of former Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, who was captured and killed by rebels in Oct, may have been a war crime.

The ICC Prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo said, "I think the way in which Mr Gaddafi was killed creates suspicions of ... war crimes."

"I think that's a very important issue," he said. "We are raising this concern to the national authorities and they are preparing a plan to have a comprehensive strategy to investigate all these crimes." he added.

Meanwhile, under pressure from Western allies, Libya's National Transitional Council has promised to investigate how Gaddafi and his son Mo'tassim were killed. Mobile phone video footages had shown Gaddafi alive after his capture. The former Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi was seen being mocked, beaten and abused before his killing. Though, NTC officials claimed that he was killed in a crossfire.

The ICC is confident that they could hold a fair trial in the case. Prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo said judges at the ICC have asked the National Transitional Council to inform them of their plans before Jan 10, 2012. The ICC will only step in if Libyan national authorities are unwilling or unable to act.

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