International criminal court lawyer Melinda Taylor was expected to be freed today by the Libyan militia after being held for allegedly smuggling spying devices and a coded letter to Colonel Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam.
Australian foreign minister Bob Carr said the Brisbane-born lawyer would be flown to Rome after almost four weeks in detention.
Ms Taylor was leading an ICC delegation to interview Saif in the Libyan city of Zintan, where he has been held since his capture last year.
She was accused of carrying a note from Gaddafi’s spy chief Mohammed Ismail and a miniature video camera pen and watch that “functions for the same purpose”.
Her mother, Janelle, said her daughter’s husband Geoff, who lives in The Hague with the couple’s two-year-old daughter, was “beside himself” at the news.
Ms Taylor’s supporters said there had been a misunderstanding about privileged communications between a lawyer and her client.
The ICC said it would investigate the behaviour of Ms Taylor and her team.
