Ordered to annihilate Misarta? Gaddafi
Photo: AFP
Libyan rebels have enough to convict Gaddafi of war crimes
London's Observer reports material gathered by Tripoli insurgents could get Libyan dictator convicted at ICC
Libyan rebels released thousands of documents detailing orders signed by Muammar Gaddafi, in which he instructs senior army generals to starve and bomb the residents of Misarta, UK-based newspaper the Observer reported on Sunday.
The documents, which will be handed to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, are being kept in a secret location at the besieged port city.
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The documents are expected to provide unequivocal evidence in any future trial held against the Libyan leader for charges of war crimes.
ICC investigators are scheduled to arrive to Misarta as soon as the heavy bombardment on the city stops.
According to the report, one of the documents shows how the Libyan security forces commander orders military battalions to starve the civilian population in Misarta during the four-month siege imposed on the city.
"It is absolutely forbidden to allow supply vehicles, fuel and other services to enter the Misarta from any of the checkpoints at the entry to the city," Libyan General Yossef Ahamad Bashir wrote in the paper.
Another document details an order to chase injured rebels – a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions. Among the papers held in Misarta is also a message Gaddafi sent in person to the combat units, in which he orders them to annihilate the residents and "turn the blue sea into red."
The documents mark an important milestone for international law, as it is the first time the court has access to evidence directly implicating the main players responsible for committing war crimes.
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