Libya Suspended From UN Rights Body, ICC Expected To Move Quickly On Security Council Referral

The international community is stepping up pressure on the Gaddafi government in Libya, as reports of violence continue to come out of Tripoli and Western parts of the country.

The United Nations General Assembly today agreed to suspend Libya from its seat on the Human Rights Council, as all members of international rights body, including Libya’s representatives, had requested it to do last week in Geneva.   

Today’s decision was accepted by consensus, but Venezuela’s Ambassador to the United Nations warned the General Assembly against the possibility of an American led military intervention in Libya.

“Venezuela calls for the rejection of warmongering mobilization of the US Air Force and Navy in the Mediterranean Sea.”  said Ambassador Jorge Valero  “We deplore the double standards applied to Human rights by imperialist countries. The death of one single human being in Libya is painful. Also painful are the death of thousands of human beings suffering from imperialist military invasions.” 

US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice fired back at Valero’s criticism, saying her country utterly rejected the “ugly distortion” by the Venezuelan Ambassador. 

“At a time when this assembly is acting in unison in support of the Libyan people, it’s shameful that one member state, whose own reprehensible record speaks for itself, would manipulate this occasion to spread lies, foster fear and sow hate.” Rice told the Assembly. 

Speaking before the General Assembly, Secretary General Ban Ki Moon outlined the most recent reports of violence through the country and praised the Human Rights Council’s decision to open an international inquiry into the alleged abuses.

On Saturday, all 15 members of the Security Council agreed to a resolution imposing financial sanctions and travel bans on the Gaddafi regime. The council also requested the International Criminal Court investigate reported incidents of violence that have taken place through out the country since February 15th. 

This is the second time the Security Council has referred a case to the ICC. In 2005, the Council passed a resolution bringing the violence in the Darfur region of Sudan to the attention of the court. Both China and the US,  permanent Security Council members not party to the Rome statute, abstained from voting. At the time, American officials at the UN said referral to the ICC was the main reason for abstaining. 

Beijing and Washington’s representatives at the Council voted in favor of an ICC referral on Saturday, but the US reportedly insisted on the inclusion of a clause that would protect government officials and nationals of non ICC member states from international prosecution “related to operations in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya established or authorized by the Council”. 

 Some initial reports voiced concern that the exemption could protect foreign mercenaries hired by the Gaddafi regime, but in a press conference this morning, Christian Wenaweser, President of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court, told reporters the resolution’s language was meant to exclude foreign mercenaries responsible for attacks on Libyan protesters and opposition groups.

The  final decision whether or not pursue a greater investigation will be up to head ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, who is expected to make an announcement quickly once he is formally notified by the Security Council. Wenaweser said the head ICC prosecutor would also be coordinating his decision to investigate with the Human Rights Council’s inquiry.

UN Rights Body Condemns Libya, Calls For Investigation Into Violence

All the members of the  UN Human Rights Council, including the Libyan representative, spoke out against the Gaddafi regime crackdown on protesters in a meeting in Geneva on Friday.

The council agreed on a draft resolution that would urgently create an international commission to investigate incidents of violence against civilians and possibly suspend Tripoli’s seat on the Rights Council. 

Libyan envoy Adel Shaltut called for a moment of silence in honor of those who lost their lives and emphasized the rift between Libya’s diplomats and the Gaddafi government loyalists in Tripoli. 

“We in the Libyan mission have categorically decided to serve as representatives of Libyan people and their free will. We only represent the Libyan people.” said Shaltut, whose statement was met with applause by Council members.

Advocacy group Human Rights Watch’s (HRW), an independent observer at the Council, said it greatly supported an urgent international inquiry into the violence. 

“Because Libyan authorities restrict the ability of human rights organizations and journalists to document ongoing violence, no one knows exactly how many people have died as a result of attack by Libyan security forces on protesters in the past week.” said Julie De Rivero HRW representative in Geneva, “By speaking directly to those who are receiving the dead at hospitals in Tripoli and Benghazi, Human RIghts Watch has compiled a toll of more than 300 deaths, but that number may only be a fraction of the number killed given the difficulty documenting the deaths on the ground.” 

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to travel to Geneva to address the Council on Monday.