Leaked UN report reveals torture, lynchings and abuse in post-Gaddafi Libya

[autorank]

Source: The Independent

(Nov 24) Thousands of people, including women and children, are being illegally detained by rebel militias in Libya, according to a report by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Many of the prisoners are suffering torture and systematic mistreatment while being held in private jails outside the control of the country's new government.

The document, seen by The Independent, states that while political prisoners being held by the Gaddafi regime have been released, their places have been taken by up to 7,000 new “enemies of the state”, "disappeared" in a dysfunctional system, with no recourse to the law.

The report will come as uncomfortable reading for the Western governments, including Britain, which backed the campaign to oust Gaddafi. A UN resolution was secured in March in order to protect civilians from abuses by the regime, which was at the time mercilessly suppressing the uprising against the Gaddafi regime.

There was evidence, says the report by Ban Ki-moon, due to be presented to the Security Council, that both sides committed acts amounting war crimes in the bitter battle for Colonel Gaddafi's hometown, Sirte. The Secretary-General who recently visited Libya, echoes the concern expressed by many world leaders over the killing of the former dictator by rebel fighters pointing out that Gaddafi was captured alive before being put to death.

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/leaked-un-report-reveals-torture-lynchings-and-abuse-in-postgaddafi-libya-6266636.html

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Also see

War Crimes in Libya – The Smoking Guns

Humiliation and Death as a Tool of National Policy

[burrowowl]

1. Not good

They should get their act in gear.

[autorank]

2. Agreed but this is who they are.

This is their gear.

Destroying the City of Sirte

In early September, the commander of the NTC demanded that the town of Sirte surrender. While town leaders tried to negotiate a peaceful resolution, the presence of Gaddafi loyalists prevented this from happening. The population of Sirte was 80,000, the vast majority of them civilians. On October 8, NATO began a furious aerial bombing of Sirte. The entire city was affected.

The Associated Press reported on October 27 that, “Resistance in Sirte was fierce, and three weeks into the battle, anti-Gadhafi forces had advanced only a few hundred yards (meters) into the city.” NATO’s air bombardment broke the stalemate on the ground:

“It all changed after a NATO bombing assault on October 8, when the ground did not stop shaking all night. Next morning the rebels pushed forwards, expecting the usual fierce resistance. There was none.” The Australian, October 24

Even without resistance, upon entering Sirte, “the rebels flattened the area with everything they had, bringing their tanks and heavy guns into the city and blazing away at every building standing between their own positions and the sea.” The Australian, October 24

The city of Sirte was not an aggressor in the civil war in Libya. The city did not organize attacks or officially endorse attacks. It was filled with civilians. There were also remnants of Gaddafi forces that resisted the NTC rebels’ entrance into the city. These were defensive actions, at this point in the conflict. No aggressive campaign by these forces could have been envisioned. The city just happened to be Gaddafi’s hometown and unable to join the new government. This was understandable since it had been bombed by the NATO-NTC alliance. American Politics Journal

[dkf]

3. But we weren't responsible for Qaddafi's thugs. These rebels are our responsibility.

[autorank]

4. They sure are

And nobody behind this seems too upset. The simple fact is that the rebels, after initial success, had stalled and were going nowhere.
Then NATO decided there had to be regime change and, bingo, it was a rebel victory.

But it is not "we" who are responsible, it's THEM.

They do all sorts of garbage in our name that we never endorse or agree with. They don't care. We are nothing to them.

[dkf]

5. We are useful idiots.

[No Elephants]

11. It's not always useful to assume our government is made up of idiots and only idiots.

[EFerrari]

6. Somebody cares because once or twice a week there's some Rendon group story

about a shiney thing -- look, women in the cabinet! Too bad it's not safe for women to walk the streets.

[autorank]

12. But it's safe for polygamy in Libya

That's the new deal, announced by the head of the "freedom fighters" about a month ago. Freedom of expression - for
female subjugation. We're just beginning to see the mess they've made. They will have to live with it but the
Libyans will suffer from it for decades.

[WCGreen]

7. meet the new boss....

Same as the old boss...

Will we ever not be fooled again.

[autorank]

8. Happy Thanksgiving to you!

We are not being fooled again domestically, but we may never know it;) The corporate media is working overtime.

They attempted to fool us on Libya and barely got away with it.

Good news, however, is this, imho. We were not fooled on this nonsense - The Quds Force - Saudi assassination plot. That was the
set up to go after Iran. Oddly enough, it was the press that exposed it this time around. The story was treated with
what verged on open contempt.

But your sentiment is dead on with Libya. I was interested in how many people who are typically on the right side of
issues said, 'He deserved it' as though we had the right to hand out the punishment. They're turning around now and
the 7000 prisoners will make the point clearly.

Good to see you!

[daleo]

9. Oil's well that ends well

That's all that ever mattered.

[Celefin]

10. Tsk tsk, you Gaddafi apologist, you.

Since the ex-rebels are 'the people' this cannot be true.
They would never do such a thing, ever.

Right?

Who could ever have foreseen something like this happening...
Don't you just love these 'told-you-so' moments?

[autorank]

13. We need a program for these illegal militrary actions

The Qaeda aligned Libyan group (LGIF) was OK in LIbya but Al Qaeda is not OK in the Sudan, Yemen, and, of course, Afghanistan.

The Libyan military commander, Belhaj, was a key leader of the LGIF (the Libyan branch of Al Qaeda) and fought the US
in Iraq. He then went to Gitmo and a terrorist reform camp run by Gaddafi's son. He graduated from that and, a few
months later, helped tart the revolution. I guess that means that Gitmo plus the Gaddafi terrorist rehab camp made
him acceptable. Strange how these things work out;)

http://warisacrime.org/content/libyan-rebel-army-led-rehabilitated-al-qaeda-linked-terrorists

[avaistheone1]

14. k&r

[polly7]

15. K&R nt.