International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan announced his plans to complete the investigations into war crimes committed in Libya by the end of 2025 on Wednesday at the Security Council.

During his speech, Khan outlined a clear “roadmap” and a plan of action for the following months to provide meaningful steps towards justice for the Libyan people. Khan stated that “the roadmap is something that the victims in Libya can look to not as ‘hot air’ or a ‘spin’, but something impactful and meaningful to advance their right to justice,”.

Specifically, his office aims to achieve this by completing two phases. The first phase will be dedicated to completing investigations between May 2024 and the end of 2025. The second phase consists of judicial proceedings and the principle of complementarity, meaning efforts will be focused on tracking and arresting fugitives as well as conducting trials while cooperating with the Libyan authorities.

Khan further commended his office stating that significant progress had been made, with the Libya team having completed over 18 missions, collecting over 800 items of evidence and 30 statements in the last six months. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of continued and improved cooperation between Libyan authorities and the international community. According to Khan, improved cooperation with the Libyan authorities allowed for multiple entry visas to be issued to his team and the completion of an official high-level visit by the Deputy Prosecutor.

The ICC opened investigations into Libya in March 2011, with the prosecution focusing on alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Libya in February 2011 attributed to the government led by Muammar Gaddafi. The case was unanimously referred to the ICC by the Security Council as Libya is not a party to the Rome Statute. So far, the investigation has resulted in three cases, with five arrest warrants issued.

Khan has served as the prosecutor for the ICC since February 2021 and had introduced a new strategic vision in April 2022.