Military commanders in the Libyan city of Misrata said on Saturday that no post-mortem would be carried out on the body of Muammar Qaddafi despite concerns over how the toppled dictator died.
Interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil said an investigation was being conducted into the circumstances of Qaddafi’s killing following his capture, bloodied but still alive, during the fall of his hometown Sirte on Thursday, after several foreign governments and human rights watchdogs posed questions.
But the military leadership in Misrata, where Qaddafi’s body had been stored in a vegetable market freezer overnight and was again put on display for hundreds of curious onlookers on Saturday, insisted the inquiry would involve no autopsy.
“There will be no post-mortem today, nor any day,” Misrata military council spokesperson Fathi al Bashaagha told AFP. “No one is going to open up his body.”
His comments were confirmed by two other Misrata military chiefs.
Bashaagha said that the new regime’s military commander for the capital, Abdelhakim Belhaj, was expected to travel to Misrata later on Saturday to view the corpse of the man who ruled Libya with an iron rod for 42 years.
But he said there were no immediate plans for National Transitional Council (NTC) chief Abdel Jalil to visit.
The interim leader was in the main eastern city of Benghazi on Saturday visiting some of the wounded from the eight-month uprising that felled Qaddafi.“Yes,” he answered when asked if the circumstances of Qaddafi’s death were being investigated. He declined to take any further questions.
US President Barack Obama said on Saturday, “In Libya, the death of Muammar Qaddafi showed that our role in protecting the Libyan people, and helping them break free from a tyrant, was the right thing to do,” he said.
But questions remain over how Qaddafi met his end after NTC fighters hauled him out of a culvert where he was hiding following Nato air strikes on the convoy in which he had been trying to flee his falling hometown.
Mobile phone videos show him still alive at that point.
Footage shows the former dictator, his face half-covered in blood, being dragged towards a vehicle by a delirious crowd and forced on to the bonnet. Those at the front push and shake him, pull him by the hair and hit him. At one point he appears to be trying to speak.
Subsequent footage shows him being hauled off the vehicle, still alive, and hustled through the screaming crowd, before he disappears in the crush and the crackle of gunfire can be heard. NTC leaders are adamant he was shot in the head when he was caught “in crossfire” between his supporters and new regime fighters soon after his capture. But in a video circulating on the Internet, a young fighter from Benghazi claims he shot Qaddafi twice after capturing him – once under the arm and once in the head. He says he died half an hour later.
Calling for a probe, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the “way his death happened poses an entire number of questions”.
UN human rights chief Navi Pillay also called for an investigation.
“On the issue of Qaddafi’s death yesterday, the circumstances are still unclear,” her spokesman Rupert Colville said. “There should be some kind of investigation given what we saw yesterday.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 23rd, 2011.
COMMENTS (9)
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@KillAll: no wonder pakistan had dictatorship most of its life;people like you must be in plenty there
It
s very confusing, how could a Leader who cared his folk so much who was quite friendly with his Muslim states arround, and had has a visionary of doing something for Muslim brotherhood on Globe.. Who was appriciated as Hero of same Libyan folk when he dethourned King Idres, now what made him Villain infront of his own folk arround single night, is very preflexing question.... After seeing ground realities we cant say Gaddafi has been power sticken, becoz he already thrown Power to his people by Revolutionary command council (RCC), which was providing Primary and secondary education free of cost, making homes for people, and free medical premises, what else made Libyan hate Gaddafi?? Likewise of every Arab wealthy State Gaddafi supported his country and reserved his countrys self-esteem, while not bowing against Illogical and devilous forces of West, for what he had had very clear agenda, repeated in UN summit 2009 that Muslim World should be grantled prosperity and peace in Palestine,Lebnon and Iraq included supported Pakistan numerious times for Kashmir issue.. He was a man of might, during those riots, he deciphered One thing, that he shall not leave his country, and he mean it by shedding last drop of blood on the soil of Libya.. This is not new to the Muslim World, Leaders after leaders have been slaughtered One by one, not because they fought for their crowns or Monarchy, They had been Killed because they wanted Muslim Brotherhood... Im requesting all of U, do not call Moamer Gaddafi a Dictator, as he never been asked by his people to decend down of the crown, because everything was good enough untill those Out comming rebillions showed their ugly faces..Im predicting One thing here, If common Libyan is glad from Gaddafi`s demise, They will not rest in peace due to having betrayal in their inner-self,External forces will threat them for every step of their Governance..The next target of the AIPAC ruled american congress is the mullah regime of the ayatollahs....
considering qadafi's help in need factor and soft corner for pakistan, can our prime minister register pakistan's concern over this sub-human treatment towards him. given the fact that we have recognized the NTC government. He could have been arrested and presented to the court of law.
According to New York Times, the Nato’s strike destroyed at least 11 of the vehicles, and apparently contributed to Colonel Qaddafi’s capture. The convoy was leaving town, wasn’t engaged in a combat. Hence it posed no threat to the civilians. This airstrike on the convoy last Thursday was an act of targeted killings. Nato had overstepped its mandate provided by the UNSC Resolution 1979 and should be held to account. The fugitives could have been captured by the rebel fighters. Fateh Bashagha, who was the link man for the NTC between Nato and the Misrata rebels. They arrived soon on the spot and “described a scene of mass destruction, with as many as 50 bodies scattered about and the charred remains of victims still sitting in the driver’s seats of the destroyed vehicles”.
First of all I would like to congratulate all the Lybyan pemple for being free from a 42 year tyrant rule. But Qadaf's death will bring a lot of questions on NTC. First NTC fighters has been claiming that the tyrant had no respect for human right. I also agree with this. But you did the same by killing him. Now I am afraid that this action has taken place on most of his supporters. One of his son's death is the as that of Qadafi. So further investigation should be conducted on NTC forces. Second an eye for an action by NTC forces should be condemned. Finally all Qadafi forces that are captured alive should be treated humanly.
Qaddafi would not be killed like that He would instead be caught and taken to courts of law
I do not think a post- mortem will help here. The people who killed Qaddafi were themselves a sub human class.Qaddafi was an animal and so are his people. How naive can the West be? These people and most Arab states are not capable of the concept of democracy. Islam has no tolerance and it should be realized that according to Muslims, any one opposing the tenets of Islam should be killed. There is no place for compromise and understanding. As long Islam is the state religion, democracy can never exist. The world at large must come to grips to this idea.
Well, the death of Late Qaddafi must be a lesson to others who are in the position of Authority. Most especially those in power in Nigeria does not governed well.