The four ICC staff members, released today, have left Tripoli

On 2 July 2012, at 21:00, the President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Judge Sang-Hyun Song, together with four ICC staff members previously detained in Zintan, Libya, as well as other staff of the Court, have left Tripoli to return tonight to The Hague, the Netherlands, on a plane generously provided by the Italian Government, following the release today of the four ICC staff members.

The four staff members, Alexander Khodakov, Esteban Peralta Losilla, Melinda Taylor and Helene Assaf, were well treated during their detention in Zintan since 7 June, and are in good condition.

The ICC warmly expresses its gratitude to the Italian Government, in particular to the Minister of Foreign Affairs M. Giulio Terzi, for facilitating the travel of the ICC delegation back to The Hague to allow the four ICC staff members to be reunited with their families, by offering the transport and logistical facilities for them. The Italian Government’s support goes beyond Italy’s legal obligation as a State Party, and shows its continuous commitment, since the 1998 Rome Conference where the ICC’s founding treaty was adopted, to participate in the global fight against impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes.

For further information, please contact Fadi El Abdallah, Spokesperson and Head of Public Affairs Unit, International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-9152 or +31 (0)6 46448938 or by e-mail at: fadi.el-abdallah@icc-cpi.int.

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