THE HAGUE — An International Criminal Court defense lawyer held in Libya for more than three weeks said Friday her detention shows that Muammar Gaddafi's son, Seif Al-Islam Gaddafi, cannot get a fair trial in his home country. Speaking publicly for the first time since her release 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. “I would like to unequivocally state that I believe that my actions were consistent with my legal obligations” under International Criminal Court rules, she said. Taylor was released by rebels in the western town of Zintan after the Hague-based court apologized 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 us with respect and dignity,” 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. Gaddafi 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 defense 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. “As you can imagine, speaking to my 2-year-old daughter under such circumstances was both an emotional lifeline and heartbreaking,” she said. 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. — AP
