On
Libya,
UN "Seeks
Clarification"
Of Immunity
Law As SC
Members Fail
to File
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 10 -- As Libya
is said to
move toward
election, at
least
two highly
problematic
laws were
brought into
question at
the UN this
week. Law 38
would grant
immunity for
any "acts made
necessary
by the 17
February
revolution"
and for the
revolution's
"success
or
protection."
Inner
City Press
asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman on
May 8:
Inner
City
Press: there
is a report of
a proposed law
in Libya,
called law
38, which
would grant
amnesty for,
quote, 'acts
made necessary
by the
17 February
revolution,
and for the
revolution’s
success of
protection.'
Some people
are saying
this is
basically an
amnesty law
that whatever
harm may have
been created
in the course
of the
rebellion are
being
forgiven. Does
Ian Martin, or
does the UN’s
accountability
people, have
any view of
this law?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
I’d have to
check with our
colleagues in
the Mission in
Tripoli. I
haven't seen
anything on
that. That
doesn’t mean
they
haven't been
working on
this topic,
but I haven't
seen anything
myself. So, I
will check,
Matthew.
Anything else?
Yeah?
Later
this teaser
was received:
Subject:
Your
question on
Libya
From: UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at]
un.org
Date: Tue, May
8, 2012
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
Ian
Martin
will speak to
the Security
Council this
Thursday, and
he
expects to
talk to
reporters at
the stakeout
afterward. He
will take
questions
about recent
developments
in Libya at
that time.
And
so when Martin
emerged late
Thursday to
take
questions,
Inner City
Press asked
him
this one, as
well as two
others.
Martin
said that
some amnesties
for fighters
are encouraged
by
humanitarian
law, but
this cannot
extend to war
crimes and
crimes against
humanity. Law
38,
however, does
not appear to
make that
distinction.
Martin said
the UN
is "seeking
clarification."
To
some, this
echoed the
UN's position
in Yemen when
Ali Saleh got
immunity.
Inner
City Press
asked Libya's
representative
Ibrahim
Dabbashi about
Law 38, and
also
Law 37 which
would impose
life sentences
to praising
Gaddafi.
Dabbashi
expressed some
discomfort
with these
laws, and
implied they
could and
would be
changed after
the upcoming
elections.
Beyond
Inner City
Press' reporting
during the
Security
Council
session that
five
Council
members didn't
even file the
short reports
required by
the
Council's own
Libya
sanctions
regime --
Martin
declined
comment on
this -- Inner
City Press
asked about
the threat to
resign by
finance
minister
Hassan Ziglam,
due to
corruption in
payments to
former and
claimed former
fighters.
Martin
said he'd
seen this, and
that the
program to pay
former fights
had not been
well
administered,
leading for
example to the
recent
incidents at
the
Prime Minister
office. Does
corruption run
deeper? Is
Libya, as
alleged,
exporting
weapons to
fighters in
Syria? Martin
said this is
beyond
UNSMIL's
mandate.
Apparently it
is beyond the
mandate of
UNIFIL as
well. Watch
this site.
, 
