NEW YORK (Channel 6 News) – On Monday, the International Crime Court (ICC), at last issued arrest warrants for Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, one of his sons and his intelligence chief. The charges being brought up against them are crimes against humanity during the early stages of the uprising in Libya that was the eventual cause of the NATO bombings.

The Judge who issued the warrants, Sanji Monogeng, said there was much reason to believe these three individuals were responsible for the death of hundreds of civilians during peaceful protests in February. However, these warrants raised the question of how custody of these men will be gained as Qaddafi’s government is not one of the 115 countries that recognizes the court and therefore, is condemning the ruling. The Justice Minister of Libya has been quoted saying the court “is a tool of the Western world to prosecute leaders in the Third World”. Some lawyers said a possible solution would be to have Libyan Rebel fighters capture Qaddafi and bring him to the ICC but this seems unlikely because, even though the rebels have caused Qaddafi to lose some control in southern areas, no rebels have been able to reach the heavily defended capital.

Prosecutors are hoping that the United Nations Security Council will further encourage the investigation of crimes in Libya and will encourage the arrest of these men. Some diplomats say that such action is unnecessary and that a path of political solution should be left open, however, Qaddafi’s previous political dealings suggest this to be unlikely. He believes his arrest warrant is not something to be negotiated, but is something to defy.