Libya: Q&A on the Arrest and Surrender of the Three International Criminal Court Suspects

On February 26, 2011, the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 1970 by a vote of 15-0 referring the situation in Libya to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Under the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding treaty, the Security Council may refer a situation in any country to the ICC prosecutor if it determines the situation to warrant such action under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Resolution 1970 gave the court authority over events in Libya beginning on February 15, 2011. On March 3, the ICC prosecutor announced he would open an investigation into the situation in Libya.