Libya's rebel army has been accused of executing both Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim in cold blood as the United Nations suggested their deaths amounted to war crimes.
Both Gaddafi and his son were filmed or
photographed alive and relatively uninjured after their capture on
Thursday, before both died of multiple gunshot wounds Photo: AP
Human rights groups and Gaddafi's wife Safia called for an independent investigation into the deaths, which robbed victims' families of the chance to see Gaddafi put on trial for his murderous acts.
Both Gaddafi and his son were filmed or photographed alive and relatively
uninjured after their capture on Thursday, before both died of multiple
gunshot wounds.
On Friday, at the refrigeration units in Misrata where the two bodies are being kept before their burial, young men queued for the chance to see the corpses and take pictures of them on their mobile phones.
Libya's interim president, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, is expected to declare the country officially liberated today, though the fate of Saif al-Islam, Gaddafi's chosen heir and the only man who could continue the fight, remains unclear.
Within Libya, Gaddafi's death has been a cause for celebration, but its new leaders have been warned that summary executions will not be tolerated by the international community.
Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,
said: "It is unclear how (Col Gaddafi) died. There is a need for an
investigation."
Describing footage of Gaddafi's last moments as "very disturbing", he said that if the former dictator had been executed: "That would raise issues that a crime had been committed and we would have to look at dealing with that. It is very clear under international law that summary executions are illegal.
"You can't just chuck the law out of the window. Killing someone outside a judicial procedure, even in countries where there is the death penalty, is outside the rule of law."
It raised the possibility that rebel soldiers could be pursued for war crimes.
Amnesty International, meanwhile, called for "a full, independent and impartial inquiry" into the circumstances of Gaddafi's death.
Gaddafi's wife, Safia, also called on the UN to investigate the death of her husband and her son, according to a Syrian TV station.
David Cameron, however, said Libya, not the UN, should investigate the deaths. His spokesman said: "The account of precisely what happened is a matter for the NTC."
Several videos of Gaddafi after his capture near Sirte show him walking and talking to his enemies. His body was later photographed with a clean bullet hole in the left temple and bullet wounds in his abdomen and chest.
His son Mutassim, meanwhile, was photographed smoking a last cigarette and holding a bottle of water, almost uninjured, before being shot in the neck.
Mahmoud Jibril, the interim Libyan prime minister, admitted Col Gaddafi was relatively unscathed when he was captured.
He said: "When they transferred him to the pick-up truck he had no injuries. When the vehicle started moving he was caught in the crossfire and he was injured with a shot to the head."
He said Gaddafi was taken by ambulance to Misrata, but died there from his wounds.
The NTC Information Minister, Mahmoud Shammam, said: "It seems like the bullet was a stray and it could have come from the revolutionaries or the loyalists. The problem is everyone around the event is giving his own story."
But one member of the National Transitional Council, who asked not to be named, confessed: "They beat him very harshly and then they killed him. This is a war."
The NTC said no orders had been given to kill Gaddafi.
Another senior NTC official said: "There have been rumours flying around since the killing of Gaddafi after images were released, claiming that our revolutionaries slaughtered him.
"No instructions were given to kill Gaddafi and we do not believe our revolutionaries intentionally killed him."
Hisham Krekshi, the deputy chairman of Tripoli City Council, conceded that "revenge" may have played a part in Gaddafi's death, but added: "It's a war and everybody is happy with his death."
Dr Ibrahim Tika, who examined the body, suggested Gaddafi was already bleeding to death from an abdominal wound by the time he was shot in the temple.
He said the "primary reason" for Gaddafi's death was the bullet in his gut, adding: "Then there was another bullet in the head that went in and out of his head."
Source: The Telegraph
Describing footage of Gaddafi's last moments as "very disturbing", he said that if the former dictator had been executed: "That would raise issues that a crime had been committed and we would have to look at dealing with that. It is very clear under international law that summary executions are illegal.
"You can't just chuck the law out of the window. Killing someone outside a judicial procedure, even in countries where there is the death penalty, is outside the rule of law."
It raised the possibility that rebel soldiers could be pursued for war crimes.
Amnesty International, meanwhile, called for "a full, independent and impartial inquiry" into the circumstances of Gaddafi's death.
Gaddafi's wife, Safia, also called on the UN to investigate the death of her husband and her son, according to a Syrian TV station.
David Cameron, however, said Libya, not the UN, should investigate the deaths. His spokesman said: "The account of precisely what happened is a matter for the NTC."
Several videos of Gaddafi after his capture near Sirte show him walking and talking to his enemies. His body was later photographed with a clean bullet hole in the left temple and bullet wounds in his abdomen and chest.
His son Mutassim, meanwhile, was photographed smoking a last cigarette and holding a bottle of water, almost uninjured, before being shot in the neck.
Mahmoud Jibril, the interim Libyan prime minister, admitted Col Gaddafi was relatively unscathed when he was captured.
He said: "When they transferred him to the pick-up truck he had no injuries. When the vehicle started moving he was caught in the crossfire and he was injured with a shot to the head."
He said Gaddafi was taken by ambulance to Misrata, but died there from his wounds.
The NTC Information Minister, Mahmoud Shammam, said: "It seems like the bullet was a stray and it could have come from the revolutionaries or the loyalists. The problem is everyone around the event is giving his own story."
But one member of the National Transitional Council, who asked not to be named, confessed: "They beat him very harshly and then they killed him. This is a war."
The NTC said no orders had been given to kill Gaddafi.
Another senior NTC official said: "There have been rumours flying around since the killing of Gaddafi after images were released, claiming that our revolutionaries slaughtered him.
"No instructions were given to kill Gaddafi and we do not believe our revolutionaries intentionally killed him."
Hisham Krekshi, the deputy chairman of Tripoli City Council, conceded that "revenge" may have played a part in Gaddafi's death, but added: "It's a war and everybody is happy with his death."
Dr Ibrahim Tika, who examined the body, suggested Gaddafi was already bleeding to death from an abdominal wound by the time he was shot in the temple.
He said the "primary reason" for Gaddafi's death was the bullet in his gut, adding: "Then there was another bullet in the head that went in and out of his head."
Source: The Telegraph
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