Gaddafi Used Rape As Weapon of War, Says ICC Prosecutor

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor has said that Libyan leader Muammer Gaddafi ordered mass rapes and bought containers of sex drugs for troops to attack women.

Mr Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he may ask for a new charge of mass rape to be made against Colonel Gaddafi following the new evidence.

He told reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York that he had collected evidence suggesting the Libyan leader had decided to punish women by using rape as a weapon in the hope that it would instil fear and curb dissent.

The chief prosecutor is expecting a decision from judges within days on his request for crimes against humanity charges against Col Gaddafi.

"Now we are getting some information that Gaddafi himself decided to rape, and this is new," Mr Moreno-Ocampo said.

He said there were reports of hundreds of women attacked in some areas of Libya, which is in the grip of a months-long internal rebellion.

"Apparently, he decided to punish, using rape," Mr Moreno-Ocampo said. "It was very bad - beyond the limits, I would say.

"It was never the pattern he used to control the population. The rape is a new aspect of the repression. And that's why we had doubts at the beginning, but now we are more convinced."

Mr Moreno-Ocampo said there was evidence that the Libyan authorities bought "Viagra-type" medicines and gave them to troops as part of the official rape policy. "They were buying containers to enhance the possibility to rape women," he said.

In March, a Libyan woman, Ms Eman Al Obeidi, made headlines around the world after she burst into a Tripoli hotel and said she had been raped by Col Gaddafi's troops.

There has so far been no comment on the allegations by the Libyan authorities. The Libyan government does not recognise the ICC's jurisdiction.

Last month, the chief prosecutor asked ICC judges to approve arrest warrants for Col Gaddafi, his Son Saif Al Islam, and intelligence chief Abdullah Al Sanussi. He accused them of committing two categories of crimes against humanity - murder and persecution - and said they bore the greatest responsibility for attacks on civilians at the beginning of the anti-government uprising in February, when between 500 and 700 are thought to have been killed.

The chief prosecutor may ask for a new charge of mass rape to be made against Kadhafi, he said.

Moreno-Ocampo is expecting a decision soon from judges on his request for charges of crimes against humanity to be laid against the Libyan leader, his son Seif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanussi.

There are reports of hundreds of women attacked in some areas of Libya, Moreno-Ocampo said. He claimed Kadhafi’s forces were buying containers of “Viagra-type” medicines “to enhance the possibility to rape women”.

Kadhafi’s regime had not previously been known for using rape as a weapon against political opponents and Moreno-Ocampo said he had to find evidence that the Libyan leader had given the order.

In March, Libyan woman, Iman al-Obeidi, made international headlines when she entered a Tripoli hotel and said she had been raped by Kadhafi troops. After escaping to Qatar she was deported to rebel-held Libya and is now resting at a refugee centre in Romania.

The Libyan government does not recognise the international court’s jurisdiction.

Other developments include:

Loud explosions were heard in Tripoli late Wednesday, regime spokesperson Mussa Ibrahim claimed Nato dropped more thatn 60 bombs on the capital, killing 31 people and causing dozens of injuries;

Up to 3,000 Kadhafi troops attacked the third-largest city, Misrata, from the south, west and east, rebels said, killing 12 people and wounding 33;

Two dozen countries are represented in at talks on Libya in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday after Nato extended its operation for 90 days;

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates pressed Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands to take part in air strikes and Germany and Poland to join the military operations at a Nato meeting Wednesday, with US military chief Admiral Michael Mullen admitted that the campaign was making “very slow progress”;

China said it would welcome a visit from representatives of the rebel National Transitional Council “in the near future”, with officials describing the situation as “untenable” and calling for a ceasefire.