The International Criminal Court on Wednesday rejected a final bid by Tripoli's lawyers to try slain dictator Muammar Qadhafi's son Seif al-Islam in Libya, meaning he must now be transferred to The Hague. Seif's transfer to face charges relating to the bloody repression of the 2011 uprising that toppled his father is however a moot point as he is being held by a Libyan militia rather than any central authority in the chaos-wracked country.
The presiding ICC judge Erkki Kourulas struck down four grounds of appeal before the world's war crimes court, saying "in the present case the Appeals Chamber confirms the (pre-trial chambers') decision and dismisses the appeal." ICC pre-trial judges a year ago rejected Tripoli's request to put him in the dock in Libya, saying the country was unable to give him a fair hearing.
This included Tripoli's inability to transfer Seif, Kadhafi's one-time heir apparent, to the Libyan capital from his prison in the hilltop stronghold of Zintan, where he is currently being held by militia members. Tripoli appealed the original decision a few days later in June. Seif, 41, and Qadhafi's former spy chief Abdullah Senussi, around 64, have been charged for their roles in violent attempts to put down the 2011 uprising in the desert country that eventually toppled Qadhafi's regime.
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