Gadhafi’s son to die for 2011 killings
A COURT in Libya yesterday sentenced a son of Moammar Gadhafi to death by firing squad after convicting him of murder and inciting genocide during the 2011 uprising.
The Tripoli court that sentenced Seif al-Islam, who is being held by a militia that refuses to hand him over, also sentenced to death eight others, including former Libyan spy chief, Abdullah al-Senoussi, who is in government custody.
It was unclear whether the sentences in the mass trial of 38 Gadhafi-era figures, only 29 of whom were present, would be carried out. Six others were sentenced to life in prison and four were cleared of charges.
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said the trial was “undermined by serious due process violations,” and called on the Supreme Court to independently review the verdict.
“This trial has been plagued by persistent, credible allegations of fair trial breaches that warrant independent and impartial judicial review,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director. “The victims of the serious crimes committed during the 2011 uprising deserve justice, but that can only be delivered through fair and transparent proceedings.”
Libya has slid into chaos since the overthrow and killing of Gadhafi, who ruled the country for four decades. It is now bitterly divided between an elected parliament and government cornered in the country’s east, with little power on the ground, and an Islamist militia-backed government in the west that has seized the capital, Tripoli.
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2 Comments
This will not end the brutality in Libya. I was at university in the 70s with a Libyan student, Lutfi. Lutfi was a confident and wealthy student who was generous with what he said Ghadaffi had done for him in providing for the education of all aspiring young people in Libya. Lutfi was full of praise as we all were at the time when it was still possible to get a state scholarship to study. Ghadaffi was seen at the time as the saviour and indeed the embodiment of African self-confidence. It has now come to this, with American president coming in to the AU to chide Africans and their leaders with hurtful condiscention. How did it come to this? This is the same America with suspected hand in the assacination of Nkruma, Patrice Lumumba and who cornived with Britain to sustain appartheid in SA. Who are they to come to the AU to criticise us. Are so so stupid to put ourselves in the situation where we can be lectured by the worst vialins the earth has ever produced? When Ghadaffi was brutally overthrown ro rhe jubilation of a bunch of uncle toms, I saw the spectacle of Cameron and Sakuzi climbing on podia to soak the applaws of stupid Arabs who must now ask themselves – SO WHAT NOW? Go on, kill yet another Ghadaffi and see if that makes any difference to the missery you have only succeeded in creating for yourselves so far. We have a Nigerian sying which is appropriate at this point – You don’t stop a child from growing big teeth, provided it can equally grow the big lips to cover the teeth for when the flies come to feast. Libyans continue to crave European approval and acceptance just like Ghadaffi did to pay compensation for the Locherby bombing which was errorneeously blamed on Libyan terrorist withoiut evidence in the eyes of most including the suviving relatives of the victims – this single act was enough to close the costly investigation which was going nowhere. It hurts and we still continue with African stupidity. Why – oh – Why?
We should by now understand that the advanced countries speak from both sides of their mouths. How can the U.S. Human Rights Watch say it was not a fair judgement. How do they expect a country still at war to have a ‘fair’ judgement? Where and how do they expect fighters to be so organised as to even take time to investigate and gather ‘facts’. They even suggested the Supreme Court to take up the trial as if the Supreme Court is supreme over all of Libya!!! Enough of these demeaning of non-advanced societies.
We will review and take appropriate action.