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Libyan trial for Gadhafi's son

August 23, 2012

The highest-profile son of late dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Seif al-Islam, is to be tried in Libya, prosecutors say. However, the International Criminal Court has also issued a warrant, and wants to try him in The Hague.

https://p.dw.com/p/15voS
Seif al-Islam Gadhafi makes remarks while in captivity in Zintan
Image: AP/Zintan Media Center

Prosecution spokesman Taha Nasser Baara said on Thursday that the charge sheet against Seif al-Islam would be "approved by the prosecutor general in the coming days and a date set for the September trial opening."

The trial was slated to take place in Zintan, a hilltop town 170 kilometers (105 miles) southwest of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

"A committee from the prosecutor general's office has completed its investigation into the crimes committed by Seif al-Islam from the start of the revolution on February 15, 2011, and has prepared the charge sheet," Baara said.

According to a statement from Justice Minister Ali Ashour in April, Seif al-Islam would have to respond to charges which include financial corruption, murder and rape.

Seif al-Islam's lawyers have said their client, who is viewed by many Libyans as having been a central figure in the Gadhafi regime, will not get a fair trial in Libya itself.

A warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Seif al-Islam's arrest before he was caught by anti-Gadhafi militia in November.

Libya has been resisting demands from the ICC for him to be transferred to The Hague amid concerns that any Libyan trial would not meet international standards.

rc / msh (AFP, Reuters)