(6 Jul 2012) An International Criminal Court defence lawyer held in Libya for more than three weeks said on Friday her detention shows that Moammar Gadhafi's son, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, cannot get a fair trial in his home country.
Speaking publicly for the first time since her release on Monday, Australian lawyer Melinda Taylor denied any wrongdoing in Libya, where authorities accused her of endangering national security while meeting with her client, Seif al-Islam.
Taylor was released by rebels in the western town of Zintan after the Hague-based court apologised for the incident and pledged to investigate her and three colleagues held with her.
She declined to discuss the Libyan claims in detail due to the court's ongoing investigation and security concerns.
Taylor said Zintan rebels who held her and the three other staff treated them properly, but she slammed Libya for its treatment of the court delegation and her client.
"These recent events have completely underscored that it will be impossible for Mr. Gadhafi to be tried in an independent and impartial manner in Libyan courts," she told reporters.
Taylor said she would file a report next week on her detention and visit with Seif al-Islam in a defence submission to ICC judges on Libya's application to be allowed to prosecute him.
The Australian said she was allowed only one five-minute phone call with her family during her detention.
Taylor was appointed by the court to represent Seif al-Islam, who is charged with crimes against humanity for alleged involvement in attacks on civilians in the early stages of the popular uprising against his father's four-decade rule.
Seif al-Islam is now the focus of a judicial tug of war between the court and Libyan authorities who want to put him on trial at home for torturing and killing rebels as well as other crimes.
The ICC is a court of last resort - meaning it can only take on cases in countries unwilling or unable to prosecute them.
The Hague to launch an investigation in Libya last year after widespread reports of atrocities committed by forces loyal to Gadhafi.
Organisations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International harshly criticised Libya's detention of the four court staffers.
Taylor expressed gratitude on Friday to court officials and Australian diplomats and Foreign Minister Bob Carr for their efforts to secure her release and that of her three colleagues.
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