Reports surface that Colonel Gaddafi is killed, died of wounds after being shot with a rifle, Libyans denied a trial

Dear All

It must come as no surprise that Colonel Gaddafi is dead, the question was when.

It has been announced that Colonel Gaddafi has been killed near Sirte, his home town.

Now, there will be no trial.

Through-out the Middle East there is a pattern developing, leaders who are dictators aren’t tried in a Court of Law; they are simply killed.

NTC military chief Bel Haj has confirmed that Colonel Gaddafi died of wounds which were sustained during his capture.

Gaddafi’s corpse has already been delivered to Misrata, according to Al Arabiya.

TV footage allegedly showing anti-Gaddafi fighters dragging his body has popped up on Al Jazeera’s English Channel.

The NTC Fighters claim that Gaddafi was shot dead in his lower body from a rifle.

If you look at the picture, then the face and blanket would tend to suggest more than this.

And in a grave insult, one fighter is said to have hit Gaddifi with his shoe, which is regarded as a grave insult in the Arab world.

The Colonel’s son Motassim is also said to have been captured in the fallen stronghold of Sirte.

An NTC commander claims he is also dead.

This probably means that everyone of Gaddifi’s family may suffer a similar fate from National Transitional Council who claims to support human rights.

It must be just coincidence that these people are getting shot upon capture.

NTC leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil will address the Libyan nation shortly and NTC Deputy Chairman Ghoga is expected to announce the liberation of all of Libya within hours.

I think although Gaddifi was a bad man, the next people to run Libya will be in the pocket of the big corporations.

Just like Afghanistan, Libya will slide into being a corrupt country.

And the lives of the people will not change for the better.

According to Reuters, Gaddafi was wounded and captured near Sirte while trying to flee in a convoy.

The convoy was allegedly attacked by NATO.

A NATO official says the alliance is checking reports of Gaddafi's capture.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said that the war in Libya is “over.”

The European Union said in a statement that the death of Muammar Gaddafi marks the “end of era despotism.”

A rather bold statement!

US White House officials say they are monitoring the reports but cannot confirm Gaddafi’s status.

One thing at present is there is a lot of confusion, a Libyan government fighter says Gaddafi was hiding in a hole in Sirte, shouting "don't shoot, don't shoot."

Which begs the question, if he was surrendering how did he end up dead?

On Tuesday, during her visit to Libya, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she hoped Muammar Gaddafi would be captured or killed.

This is a disgraceful statement as by saying that she hoped Gaddifi was killed flies in the face of international law.

Is Gaddifi dead?

That is certain but the effect of social media in getting such a powerful message out so quickly cannot be ignored.

In war, one of the new battle fronts is the World Wide Web, it is a tool used by government and their agencies to shape public opinion.

It is as much a battle ground as boots on soil.

Pro-Gaddafi media denies the reports that the colonel has been killed as “nothing but rumors.”

According to Al-Libiya television website, Muammar Gaddafi “is in good health.”

The news outlet also warns against fake pictures of a slain Gaddafi that have appeared in the internet.

The War in Libya isn’t over, but what kind of Libya will rise from the ashes, who will control it and importantly where will the oil wealth go?

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University