According to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the UK used its latest intervention at the UN Security Council to restate a clear policy line on Libya: accountability is not separate from stabilisation, but part of it. The statement welcomed the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s latest report and said continued progress in investigations and court proceedings matters directly for Libya’s political future. The UK also recorded its regret that the Deputy Prosecutor did not brief the Council in person, despite the Council’s mandate. That procedural point was brief, but it signalled that London expects formal reporting on Libya to be handled through full and visible engagement with the Council.
The most concrete development identified by the UK was the conclusion of the confirmation of charges hearing in the case of Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, following his arrest and surrender to the Court late last year. In ICC procedure, that stage matters because judges decide whether the prosecutor’s evidence is strong enough for the case to move forward to trial. The UK government statement placed particular weight on what the hearing meant for victims and affected communities in Libya. It noted that many victims of the alleged crimes were represented in the proceedings, presenting the hearing not only as a procedural step but as evidence that participation and recognition are being built into the justice process.
That emphasis matters in the Libyan context. Cases linked to conflict-era crimes have often moved slowly, while public confidence in institutions has been weakened by fragmentation, militia influence and competing centres of authority. By pointing to an active case before the Court, the UK was making a narrower but important point: international justice mechanisms are still capable of producing measurable results. The wider policy point is that London is framing accountability as a practical element of conflict management rather than a symbolic add-on. The statement tied court progress to stability, suggesting that impunity remains a policy problem as well as a legal one.
The UK also welcomed the Office of the Prosecutor’s work with national authorities under the principle of complementarity. In ICC practice, complementarity means the Court does not replace domestic justice systems where credible national action is possible; instead, it works alongside them or steps in when domestic routes are absent or inadequate. The statement cited one concrete example of that approach: information from the ICC prosecutor’s office assisted domestic proceedings in the Netherlands concerning alleged human trafficking offences. That detail matters because it shows the Libya file producing effects beyond The Hague, with ICC material helping national authorities pursue connected criminal conduct through their own courts.
Alongside praise for recent progress, the UK used the statement to press Libyan institutions to do more. It urged the Libyan authorities, including the Office of the Attorney General, to take further steps in support of continued accountability. In practical terms, that language points to cooperation with investigations, support for evidence gathering, and sustained engagement with both international and domestic proceedings. The formulation is consistent with a policy approach that treats Libyan ownership and international assistance as mutually reinforcing rather than as competing tracks.
The closing section of the statement widened the point beyond Libya alone. The UK reaffirmed its support for the ICC and for the Court’s independence, while stating plainly that it does not support sanctions against individuals or organisations associated with the Court. Taken together, the intervention presents a concise account of current UK policy: support active ICC proceedings, encourage national cooperation, protect the Court’s independence and treat accountability as part of the path to stability in Libya. According to the UK government statement, that remains the basis on which London says justice should be pursued for the Libyan people.