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U.N.: At least eight mass graves discovered in Libya
[UPI] The United Nations...an idea whose time has gone... on Thursday announced the Government of National Accord is investigating the discovery of at least eight mass graves in Libya. The U.N. Support Mission in Libya said it welcomed a decision by the justice minister to establish a committee to investigate, secure the mass graves, identify the victims, establish causes of death and return the bodies to next of kin. "UNSMIL notes with horror the discovery of at least eight mass graves in past days, the majority of them in Tarhuna. International law requires that the authorities conduct prompt, effective and transparent investigations into all alleged cases of unlawful deaths," the organization said. Lutfi Tevfik Misrati, head of an office of the Libyan government investigating disappearances, said there were 10 to 12 bodies in one of the graves. "The region is full of corpses," Misrati said. The Libyan army recently liberated Tarhuna from forces loyal to rebel Khalifa Haftar  ...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all. Actually, he is, but slowly...and the government announced Friday it found 106 bodies in a hospital in the town shortly after the rebel forces were removed. Libyan Interior Minister Fathi Bashaga said Haftar's militias burned some prisoners in containers and buried others alive in mass graves. Posted by: Fred 2020-06-13 |
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