20110228
reuters

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Military attacks against civilians in Libya could be a crime against humanity and warrant the launch of a full investigation within days by the International Criminal Court, its prosecutor said on Monday.

The United Nations Security Council on Saturday imposed sanctions on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family, and referred Libya's crackdown on anti-government demonstrators to the ICC.

"We have to decide whether to open an investigation ... and I hope we can move very fast. Within a few days," ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told reporters in his offices in The Hague.

He said anyone who attacked civilians would be investigated and prosecuted and that military commanders could be held accountable for the actions of their troops.

"If people were on the square and they were attacked by soldiers, tanks or airplanes, in a widespread and systematic way, it's a crime against humanity," he said.

Moreno-Ocampo said an investigation team had been put together in The Hague to collect information and his office was in contact with Libyan officials and army staff to understand command structures and how the Libyan military system worked.

The office of the prosecutor was also liaising with an African Union investigation team and the Arab League with the aim of moving as swiftly as possible, Moreno-Ocampo said.