ICC welcomes referral of Libya

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- The International Criminal Court announced Monday from The Hague that it welcomed the referral of Libya by the U.N. Security Council.

The Security Council during the weekend voted unanimously in Resolution 1970 to refer Libya to the ICC for grave human rights violations.

"I welcome this expression of trust in the ICC's role as the first permanent and independent international judicial institution with jurisdiction over the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole," said ICC President Song Sang-hyun in a statement.

Human Rights Watch said that at least 300 people were reported killed since the protests began, though other reports put the death toll at more than 1,000. Libyan diplomats are resigning en masse and pressure on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is growing as opposition forces take control over parts of the country.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the chief prosecutor at the ICC, said in a statement last week there wasn't much the international courts could do unless the Security Council referred the Libyan case to The Hague.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke out against the Gadhafi regime Monday during a visit to Geneva where she spoke with Western allies of the Libya unrest.

Clinton said in her statement that "mercenaries and thugs" were attacking unarmed civilians and the regime was executing soldiers who wouldn't obey orders to fire on their fellow citizens.

She said the United States and its international allies were working with the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent and other groups to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Libya.

"As we move forward on these fronts, we will continue to explore all possible options for action," she added. "As we have said, nothing is off the table so long as the Libyan government continues to threaten and kill Libyans."