By Svebor Krancj
THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor said on Monday he hoped to complete a preliminary examination of the violence in Libya in a few days before opening a full investigation.
The United Nations Security Council has imposed sanctions on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family, and has referred Libya's crackdown on anti-government demonstrators to the International Criminal Court.
When the office of the prosecutor receives a Security Council referral, the statute requires that prosecutors carry out a preliminary examination to see whether there is reasonable basis to proceed with a full investigation.
This is only the second ICC probe to be triggered by a U.N Security Council referral. If its preliminary examination is completed in just a few days, this would highlight the urgency with which the office of the prosecutor views the case.
When the Security Council referred the Darfur crisis in Sudan to the ICC on March 31, 2005, it took two months for the prosecutor to open an investigation.
Among the issues that the prosecutor will consider is the nature of the alleged crimes as the court has jurisdiction only over war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
If the prosecutor decides to open an investigation, they may request from an ICC pre-trial chamber to deliver warrants of arrest or summonses to appear for people that may bear the highest responsibility for the alleged crimes.
(Writing by Aaron Gray-Block and Greg Roumeliotis)
