Gaddafi: Questions about his killing

Jubilant celebrations were seen all over Libya last night following the killing of Muammar Gaddafi. It must be noted from the outset, that this blog piece does not seek to defend Gaddafi’s regime. It seeks to pose a series of questions that have arisen since hearing the news of his killing, some of which remain unanswered.

The first question surrounds the indecorous pictures and videos of Gaddafi’s corpse on various international news channels including the BBC: something, which profoundly shocked me. The second, although slightly premature to form any solid conclusions, are those surrounding the legality of Gaddafi’s death. However, to discuss this topic so prematurely without all the facts would do it an injustice.

The capture of Gaddafi and his subsequent execution was well recorded by the media and the public. What I found most disconcerting was this manner in which the western media handled the footage it had been provided with. Not only were pictures of Gaddafi repeatedly shown on TV and posted on the websites of all mainstream UK newspapers, but also, THE video of his corpse was disarmingly stuck on the replay button on Sky News, CNN, Al-Jazeera and the BBC (to name a few). Of course, this is nothing new. Although this was seen to a lesser extent during Saddam Hussein’s hanging, it still had the full support of western governments.

Should I have sat back and accepted this acclamation as a part of war: the trophy of victory again? I spoke to numerous people about this. Most of them informed me to do just that. Accept it. Accept that it was a part of war and that is just what happens. But I couldn’t do it. It just didn’t sit right with me. Living in the age in which we do, with all the human rights frolly that our governments are quick to state when western interests are at stake, this at the very least seemed incredibly distasteful. Parading videos, particularly on a national state news channel (BBC News) of a dead man, while his corpse was at the ‘mercy’ of the rebels seemed abhorrent. I suppose I at least expected more humility from the BBC.

Would we have allowed this to happen if it were one of ‘our own’? To, at the very least, symbolically desecrate an individual in such a manner on the one hand, legitimised by our sense of moralistic superiority and orientalist views, prejudicing the ‘other’ whilst ignoring the fact that our governments had at times, solicited support from Gaddafi, makes a mockery of the principles we so highly regard ourselves party to.

Was this all of this morally just? Gaddafi had run a tyrannous system of rule for over 4 decades. Can we therefore be selective in our application of the rule of law? Should Gaddafi have been tried? Well, yes. Radovan Karadzic is being tried. Slobodan Milosevic was tried. Charles Taylor also (currently awaiting judgement). Aren’t the values that we stringently expropriated and impelled into our International criminal justice system,the same values that we seamlessly pride ourselves in and attempt to export worldwide? The same values that we are all hoping forms the bedrock of Libyan democracy? Yet before the cement had even solidified into a strong foundation, it had been fouled from the outset: NATO had provided the rebels with legitimacy for their actions, and even supplied them with weapons. Start as you mean to go on, right…. I hope not.

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• pathman1915

  Hi Fatima ,
  I agree with your comments and this barbaric murder is
  completely unaccepable and the rejoicing of a human murder deplorable.Please look at the reaction of illuminati Hilary Clinton laughing at the death of Gadaffi and proclaiming wow.How one could be secretary of state for the USA shows how quickly the americans have forgot about the impeachment of Persident Bill Clinton for sexual gratification with a member of staff Monica Lewinski.Interestingly Mrs Clinton was making an unscheduled stop over in Tripoli which suggests a ritual satanic assasination with the appearance of comet elenin perhaps,but this is just conjecture.
  My dad was on reconaissance in the 2nd world war in 1944 over Tripoli and Ben Ghazi and Egypt and mount etna in Sicily photographing anti aircraft batteries and shipping movements in the med,so this colonial exploitation has been going on a long time.The Sunderland fling boats were based in Malta.
  My father had very srict morals and principles and was a very nice father who taught me the values of common decency missing from society now but common place in the 50’sand 60’s.
  Our leaders Cameron,Obama ,and Sarcosy are stained with the blood
  of Gaddafi while masquerading behind the murderers of the NTC in the forlorn dying despair of democracy.
  Surley we must ask ourselves searching questions about the operations of visitors in Coonel Gaddaffi’s tent Prince
  Andrew,Mandelson,Blair,Rothschild and Obama who were business guests in
  Gadaffis tent.The same creatures who would ruthlessy dispose of him in
  the gutter a few years later conceling their sicly grins and masonic
  handshakes,They are culpable in murder and their crimes can no longer
  be ignored or the laws of justice are irrelevent.
  Blair has ammassed millions since leaving office but turned his back
  on the families of the soldiers killed in illuminati wars and announced
  he regretted nothing and after lilling millions it was time to engage
  Iran,France,the USA,the UK is now bankrupt after a decade of war and
  the taxpayer is being asked to fund this with the robbery of pensions
  austerity and falling slavery wage slips with hikes in fuel and
  utilities.
  Libya on the contrary had good infrastructure,hospitals medical
  care,housing free electric,zero interest loans from state banks and
  petrol at 30 cents,but is now bombed back to the stone age.Now is the
  Arab Spring and Dave’s democracy from the Chipping Norton set,Nat
  Rothschild,and Rupert Murdoch.Where is the Middle East Peace(war)envoy
  when you need him?
  Kind Regards
  Stan

• lusty91a

  spot on .

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_LYBMY26TGAV6X5R5NVFYU35QTU nice &coolman

  well, when you rule a wealthy country of 6 millions of population for 42 years and yet instead of educating people, your only concern is how to make yourself a god (with no mercy) do not expect better than getting killed in cold blood. and please the last thing those people need is critics from the so called thinkers. 

• artgenie

  Ms Fatima I concur with your humane point of view. However these events happened in the context of having the tyrant facing perhaps the very relatives of his victims.  No one knows how many people he “buried alive” are unrecovered.  That changes the rules of the game. No one protested the Caucescus’ execution, in part because of their brutal past.