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José Luis Moreno Ocampo, born June 4, 1952 is an Argentine lawyer who has been the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) since June 16, 2003. He previously worked as a prosecutor in Argentina, famously combating corruption and prosecuting human rights abuses by senior military officials in the Trial of the Juntas.
http://www.bbc.co.uk The International Criminal Court chief prosecutor is seeking the arrest of Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi and two others for crimes against humanity. Mr Moreno-Ocampo said that after reviewing more than 1,200 documents and 50 interviews with key insiders and witnesses, his office had evidence showing that Col Gaddafi had "personally ordered attacks on unarmed Libyan civilians". "His forces attacked Libyan civilians in their homes and in public spaces, shot demonstrators with live ammunition, used heavy weaponry against participants in funeral processions, and placed snipers to kill those leaving mosques after prayers," he told a news conference in The Hague. "The evidence shows that such persecution is still ongoing as I speak today in the areas under Gaddafi control. Gaddafi forces have prepared a list with names of alleged dissidents, and they are being arrested, put into prisons in Tripoli and tortured," he added. Mr Moreno-Ocampo said that Col Gaddafi had "committed the crimes with the goal of preserving his absolute authority". "The evidence shows that Gaddafi relied on his inner circle to implement a systematic policy of suppressing any challenge to his authority." "His second-oldest son, Saif al-Islam, is the de facto prime minister and Sanussi, Gaddafi's brother-in-law, is his right-hand man - the executioner, the head of military intelligence. He commanded personally some of the attacks." The three "held meetings to plan and direct the operations", he alleged. "The office gathered direct evidence about orders issued by Muammar Gaddafi himself, direct evidence of Saif al-Islam organising the recruitment of mercenaries and direct evidence of the participation of Sanussi in the attacks against demonstrators." The prosecutor insisted he was almost ready for a trial, based on the quality and quantity of the testimony - particularly of those who had escaped from Libya. Earlier, Mr Moreno-Ocampo said the three men were suspected of committing crimes against humanity in two categories - murder and persecution - under the Rome Statute which established the court. The charges cover the days following the start of anti-government protests on 15 February. Between 500 and 700 people are believed to have been killed in that month alone. ICC prosecutors are also studying evidence about the alleged commission of war crimes once the situation developed into an armed conflict, including allegations of rape and attacks against sub-Saharan Africans wrongly perceived to be mercenaries. An inquiry set up by the UN Human Rights Council is expected to submit its report on the alleged war crimes to the UN Security Council on 7 June. The charges cover the days following the start of anti-government protests on 15 February Mr Moreno-Ocampo said he was acting in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1970, which referred the situation in Libya to the ICC, and stressed the need to hold to account those responsible for attacks on civilians. The Pre-Trial Chamber's judges may decide to accept the prosecutor's application, reject it, or ask him for additional information.
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