ICC rejects trial of Qaddafi’s son in Libya

The International Criminal Court rejected on Wednesday a final bid by Tripoli's lawyers to prosecute Muammar Qaddafi’s son Seif al-Islam in Libya.

The presiding judge Erkki Kourulas struck down four grounds of appeal before the Hague-based court, saying "in the present case the Appeals Chamber confirms the (pre-trial chambers') decision and dismisses the appeal."

Qaddafi was charged in June 2011 with two crimes against humanity - murder and persecution - allegedly carried out during his father's brutal crackdown on protesters early in that year as he unsuccessfully tried to put down a popular uprising that ultimately toppled his regime.

Whether Seif al-Islam will ever be tried in The Hague remains unclear. He is being held by a militia in the western town of Zintan that refuses to surrender him.

[With AP and AFP]