Libya says Gadhafi son to be tried at home

By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI and RAMI AL-SHAHEIBI

Assiociated Press

In this image from Libyan Television, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, left, is guarded by a Libyan fighter as he is transported to Zintan, Libya, by a transport aircraft following his capture near the Niger border early Saturday Nov 19 2011. Moammar Gadhafi's son, the only wanted member of the ousted ruling family to remain at large _ was captured as he traveled with aides in a convoy in Libya's southern desert. (AP Photo/ Libyan Television via APTN)

ZINTAN, Libya (AP) — Moammar Gadhafi's son and one-time heir apparent will be tried in Libya and not handed over to the International Criminal Court even though the country's new rulers have yet to set up a justice system, the information minister said on Sunday. The Libyan people want to see Seif al-Islam Gadhafi tried at home for the crimes he committed against the Libyan people, said the minister, Mahmoud Shammam. Seif al-Islam, captured over the weekend, is wanted by the Netherlands-based ICC on charges of crimes against humanity.

"The ICC is just a secondary court, and the people of Libya will not allow Seif al-Islam to be tried outside," Shammam told The Associated Press on Sunday. ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo told the AP Saturday that he will travel to Libya on Monday for talks with Libya's National Transitional Council on where the trial will take place. Ocampo said that while national governments have the first right to try their own citizens for war crimes, his primary goal was to ensure Seif al-Islam has a fair trial. Shammam said the NTC will discuss its decision with Ocampo during his visit. "It will take time for the trial to happen but this is natural," he said.

Human Rights Watch called for Seif al-Islam to be promptly turned over to the International Criminal Court in a statement, citing the apparent killings in custody of his father and brother Muatassim on Oct. 20 as "particular cause for concern." Seif al-Islam was captured in the southern Libyan desert early Saturday morning by revolutionary fighters from the town of Zintan, 85 miles (150 kilometers) southwest of Tripoli. He was flown back to Zintan where he remains in custody.