The NATO members who were involved in the liberation of Libya from Gaddafi’s rule may be probed on accusations of war crimes during the Libyan Conflict. The probe will be done the International Court of Justice. The diplomats said action to pre-empt a war crimes investigation would likely include an immediate internal legal review of all incidents in which NATO bombing or other actions caused civilian casualties.

The definition of war crimes, as described by international conventions on the laws of war, includes any destruction of civilian targets not justified by military necessity.

Many prosecutors of the International Court of Justice said that the allegations of war crimes by NATO members will be investigated independently and impartially

However NATO has said it was confident its actions were in compliance with international law and that the alliance is not worried by the possibility of a war crimes probe. In the event we receive a request for information, NATO is prepared to assist in any way it can, said a Nato official.

NATO is already involved in a civil suit in Belgium that accuses the alliance of killing 13 civilians in the bombing of a residential compound near Libya’s capital, Tripoli. Attorneys for the plaintiffs say that, although NATO and other international organizations enjoy diplomatic immunity in criminal cases, they fall under Belgian jurisdiction in civil suits.

International court to probe NATO for war crimes

Report by Adhir Roy Chowdury