ICC in the Media, Update #23

As we reported in earlier blog posts, late on Saturday night the United Nations Security Council, in a rare act of consensus, referred the situation in Libya to the International Criminal Court. Since we have already analyzed the content of the referral, we will focus on the media's coverage of the event. Elizabeth Evenson of Human Rights Watch reportedly said on Sunday that "[i]t is very positive that the ICC is being looked to by the Security Council as a possible tool for accountability." ICC Prosecutor Ocampo has made a statement that he has formed a team to begin collecting information and hopes to decide within days whether to open a formal investigation. A preliminary probe must establish whether crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC have been committed, such as crimes against humanity, before any more significant investigations are launched. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has suggested that as many as 1,000 individuals have lost their lives in the conflict to date, but more investigation is needed to acquire accurate and complete information. The media has remained quite silent on the other activities of the International Criminal Court during this time, but the on-going cases and investigations are continuing in the background. Photo Credit: Associated Press.