The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) says he has "serious suspicions" that the death of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi might be a war crime.
ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told reporters on December 15 after briefing the United Nations Security Council in New York that the way in which Qaddafi was killed "creates suspicions" of war crimes.
He said his office has asked the head of Libya's National Transitional Council, which has taken over since Qaddafi's downfall, to provide details about the transitional government's plans to investigate alleged war crimes by all parties, including the rebels who brought down Qaddafi's regime.
The Hague-based ICC has the authority to prosecute war crimes cases if national governments are unwilling or unable to act.
The uprising against Qaddafi's 42-year rule ended in October with Qaddafi's capture and death in unclear circumstances.
Witness accounts and video of Qaddafi after his capture by rebel fighters show that he was beaten and abused by his captors.
National Transitional Council officials said Qaddafi had died in what they described as "crossfire."
compiled from agency reports