ZINTAN, Libya. - Four International Criminal Court (ICC) staff members were detained on their visit to Libya. The four-member delegation had gone to Libya to meet with the Saif al-Islam, son of former dictator, Mohammad Gaddafi.
In a statement released today to BBC News, ICC President Sang Hyun-Song, asked for them to be "liberated immediately." The president also pointed out to Libyan authorities that the delegation was protected by immunity since they were on an official ICC mission. Hyun-Song said " "We are very concerned about the safety of our staff in the absence of any contact with them," as reported by The Guardian.
The civil servants were detained after learning that one of the lawyers contained suspicious documents, including a letter from Mohammad Ismaili, an ally of Gaddafi, according to reports by the Guardian. Libya's lawyer at The Hague told The Guardian that the documents were a threat to Libya's national security.
Authorities said that the delegation would not be released until a full investigation is conducted in Zintan, where they are all currently detained.
The four members being detained by Libyan authorities also include a lawyer who was appointed by the ICC to defend Islam in the case against him. ICC has indicted Islam for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in the 2011 uprising. Currently, he is being held in capture by revolutionaries who demand that the case against him be held in Libya as opposed to The Hague.
The delegations have detained since Thursday.
