Investigators have evidence that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi ordered mass rapes and bought containers of “Viagra-type” drugs to encourage troops to attack women, the chief ICC prosecutor said on Wednesday.
Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he may ask for a new charge of mass rape to be made against Gaddafi following the new evidence.
The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor is expecting a decision from judges within days on his request for charges of crimes against humanity to be laid against the Libyan leader, one of his sons and his intelligence chief.
“Now we are getting some information that Gaddafi himself decided to rape and this is new,” Moreno-Ocampo told reporters.
He said there were reports of hundreds of women attacked in some areas of Libya, which is in the grip of a months-long internal rebellion.
There was evidence the Libyan authorities bought “Viagra-type” medicines and gave them to troops as part of the official rape policy, Moreno-Ocampo said.
“They were buying containers to enhance the possibility to rape women,” he said.
“It was never the pattern he used to control the population. The rape is a new aspect of the repression. That is why we had doubts at the beginning, but now we are more convinced that he decided to punish using rape,” the prosecutor said.
“It was very bad — beyond the limits, I would say.”
Gaddafi’s regime had not previously been known for using rape as a weapon against political opponents and Moreno-Ocampo said he had to find evidence that the Libyan leader had given the order.
In March, a Libyan woman made international headlines when she entered a Tripoli hotel and said she had been raped by Gaddafi troops.
Iman al-Obeidi was detained but managed to escape from Libya. She ended up in Qatar but was deported back from there to rebel-held Libya. She is now at a refugee centre in Romania.
Moreno-Ocampo issued arrest warrants last month against Gaddafi, his son Seif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanussi. ICC judges are to announce in days whether they agree to the charges.
The Libyan government does not recognise the international court’s jurisdiction.
Ceasefire a ‘top priority’
Meanwhile, China’s foreign minister told his Libyan counterpart that securing a ceasefire should be the “top priority” of both sides in the conflict.
“It is a top priority for related parties to reach a ceasefire to avoid greater humanitarian disasters and solve the Libya crisis through political means,” Yang Jiechi said in talks with Libya’s Abdelati al-Obeidi on Wednesday.
Yang told al-Obeidi that he hoped both Gaddafi’s regime and the rebels would “take to heart the basic interests of the country and the people”, Xinhua news agency said.
The Chinese minister encouraged both sides to “start the political process to solve the crisis at an early date to safeguard regional peace and stability”, according to the report issued late on Wednesday.
Yang told al-Obeidi that China “opposes acts beyond the authorisation of the UN Security Council”, Xinhua said.
Russia and China — both veto-wielding members of the Council — abstained from the council vote in March that gave the go-ahead for international military action against Gaddafi’s regime.
China has previously spoken of its concerns that the Nato-led bombing in Libya was overstepping a Council resolution authorising “humanitarian” intervention in the conflict.
Al-Obeidi arrived in China on Tuesday, after Chinese diplomats held more talks with the rebels who have been fighting to wrest power from Gaddafi since mid-February.
The flurry of diplomatic activity seemed to indicate that China — which has significant economic interests in Libya — was stepping up its involvement in efforts to defuse the crisis there.
Al-Obeidi was due to leave China on Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said earlier this week.
When asked whether China was mediating between the rebels and the Libyan regime, Hong said: “China is working along with the international community to resolve the Libyan crisis politically.” – AFP