[Libya Herald] It was no surprise. Nine of the 37 Qadaffy regime defendants on trial in Tripoli...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
have been sentenced to death by firing squad. Among them Saif Al-Islam, Muammar Qadaffy
...Custodian of Wheelus AFB for 42 long years until he was ejected from the gene pool by his indignant citizens...
's son, as well as Abdullah Senussi, the former chief of the military intelligence, Abuzeid Dorda, the ex-head of the spy service, and Al-Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi, the former prime minister. They were all accused of war crimes, of having brought mercenaries to Libya and of have caused divisions among Libyan tribes.
| Though as we now observe, Libya's tribes are fully capable of divisions -- and violence resulting therefrom -- without any outside help at all. |
Jibril Kadiki, a former general and close to Saif Al-Islam fainted when he heard his sentence. Guards had to take him out of the courtroom. He was later taken to hospital by ambulance. Another defendant sentenced to death shouted: «Moslem Brüderbund, Al Qaeda, it is not fair justice» after the judge finished sentencing. Abdullah Senussi remained calm, his arms crossed on his chest. Abuzeid Dorda smiled from time to time, especially when journalists looked at him.
Right after the session, Ali Kabar, al-Mahmoudi's lawyer, said he would launch an appeal: "We weren't able to call our witnesses because they're afraid to come to Tripoli. The judgement has been too quick. We weren't able to examine closely the 4,000 pages of the case."
As in earlier sessions, the road in front of the court was closed off by heavy armed vehicles. More recently, though, security was much less strict and the road was open. The Libya Herald could, for the first time, see coppers with anti-riot equipment inside the courtroom building at Hadba prison.
But there were no pro or anti-Qadaffy demonstrations on the streets. In fact, the mood throughout the city was subdued and quiet. "Who cares about them anymore? Every Libyan knows they are guilty," a customer in a downtown coffee told this newspaper. "We're facing much more serious problems like the lack of money and terrorism."
Saif Al-Islam has not been present in the flesh in the courtroom since the beginning of the proceedings. He is being held by Zintanis who do not recognise the Tripoli-based administration. In a presser after the court session, the chief prosecutor, Siddiq El-Sur, said Saif el-Islam had been sentenced in absentia but claimed it was totally legal.