The Hague, Netherlands (CNN) -- The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Monday requested arrest warrants for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, his son and his brother-in-law, saying there is evidence Gadhafi has committed crimes against humanity in his efforts to maintain control over the country in a months-long battle.
"Gadhafi organized to arrest any suspected dissident, and they tortured them and they disappeared," Luis Moreno-Ocampo told CNN.
The regime's "widespread and systematic attacks against the civilian population" constitute crimes against humanity, the prosecutor argued.
The arrest of Gadhafi and his two close relatives "is the only way to protect" civilians in areas under the regime's control, he said, "because that is the way he is ruling the country."
Libya, which did not sign the treaty that created the International Criminal Court, indicated it would ignore the prosecution move.
Judges on the court must now decide whether to issue the arrest warrants Moreno-Ocampo wants.
They have never turned down a request from him in his 10 years with the court, he told CNN.
Senior officials in the Libyan regime have called him in the past few days to offer him their support, he claimed. He did not name them but indicated that "less than 10" had done so.
Moreno-Ocampo said his office "gathered direct evidence about orders issued by Moammar Gadhafi himself, direct evidence of Saif al-Islam (Gadhafi) organizing the recruitment of mercenaries and direct evidence of the participation of (Abdullah) al-Sanussi in the attacks against demonstrators." Al-Sanussi, the brother-in-law, is Gadhafi's head of intelligence and chief enforcer.
"The evidence shows that civilians were attacked in their homes; demonstrations were repressed using live ammunition; heavy artillery was used against participants in funeral processions, and snipers placed to kill those leaving the mosques after the prayers," Moreno-Ocampo said.
"The evidence shows that persecution is still ongoing in the areas under Gadhafi control," he said.
Authorities believe Gadhafi "personally ordered" attacks on unarmed civilians, he said, and al-Sanussi is "his right-hand man, the executioner."
Gadhafi has "absolute authority" in Libya, Moreno-Ocampo told reporters. "... It's a crime to challenge Gadhafi's authority and he used his authority to commit the crimes."
Gadhafi and his inner circle plotted to suppress any challenge to his authority, the statement said.
It was the first time the International Criminal Court has taken action while a conflict was ongoing. It is the culmination of an investigation that began February 15, when demonstrations against Gadhafi's regime accelerated. Since then, war has erupted in Libya as the strongman has tried to stay firm on his grip on power.
"Gadhafi ruled Libya through fear," Moreno-Ocampo said Monday, "and I think Libyans are losing that fear."
Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Kaim on Sunday dismissed a possible ICC action, saying that because Libya is not a signatory of the Rome Statute that established the ICC, the government will "just ignore it."
The investigation took investigators to 11 countries and included the review of 1,200 documents and interviews with about 50 witnesses.
Moreno-Ocampo has to present all his evidence to a panel of judges before the court in The Hague can decide whether to issue arrest warrants. The panel can reject his request, accept it or ask for more evidence, he said.
It could take weeks or months for the judges to decide what to do.
A report issued earlier this month by Moreno-Ocampo said the alleged crimes against humanity include the alleged commission of rape by supporters of Gadhafi's government, as well as the deportation or forcible transfer of citizens during the civil war in the country.
"It is indeed a characteristic of the situation in Libya that massive crimes are reportedly committed upon instruction of a few persons who control the organizations that execute the orders," the report said. "Arresting those who ordered the commission of crimes, should the judges decide to issue warrants, will contribute to the protection of citizens in Libya."
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