International Prosecutor Calls for Arrest of Gadhafi’s Son

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court appealed Wednesday for the immediate arrest of the son of former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was recently released from custody in Libya after more than five years in detention.

Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda called on Libya “and all other states, if in a position to do so, to immediately arrest and surrender” Seif al-Islam to the court.

The International Criminal Court has no police force and relies on cooperation from states to arrest suspects.

Bensouda said in a statement that an arrest warrant issued by the court in 2011 remains valid. Seif al-Islam is charged with murder and persecution for his alleged role in the violent suppression of anti-government protests in 2011.

Seif al-Islam’s former captors said over the weekend that his release was decided as part of a pardon issued by the Libyan parliament based in the country’s eastern region.

Bensouda also called for the arrest of another Libyan suspect, identified by the court as Al-Tuhamy Mohamed Khaled, who is wanted by the international court on charges including torture and persecution also committed in 2011.

The whereabouts of both men remains unclear.

Moammar Gadhafi also was charged by the court, but was killed by rebels before he could be detained and sent to The Hague to face justice.

Libya is not a member of the court. The United Nations Security Council asked the court to open an investigation in Libya amid widespread reports of atrocities as Gadhafi attempted to cling to power in the face of a popular uprising.