Signs of ex-rebel atrocities in Libya grow

(CBS News) 

In Libya on Tuesday, the body of Muammar Qaddafi was buried in an unmarked grave at a secret location. Like many revolutions, the end of this one was bloody.

There are questions about how the rebels dealt with both the dictator and hundreds of others. CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey reports that the question of whether rebel fighters executed Qaddafi is still under investigation. So far, the new Libyan government has shown little interest in getting to the bottom of the matter.

Nearly 300 bodies, many of them with their hands tied behind their backs and shot in the head, have been collected from across Sirte and buried in a mass grave. The new government has been slow to confront allegations of atrocities by rebel fighters, despite repeated calls for them to do so.

"You have to bear in mind that these young man have seen their friends killed in front of them, who saw their cities burned, who saw their sisters raped. I am amazed at their self-restraint," said Ali Tarhouni, oil minister.

The evidence indicates that little restraint was shown.

A morbid cleanup left in Libya
Qaddafi's final days: Rage and despair
Qaddafi buried in secret location, officials say

There are no names in one graveyard, only numbers: 572 so far and counting. That's because the graves hold the bodies of alleged mercenaries. Most were killed in the fighting, but local officials freely admit that some were summarily executed.

The governor of a prison in Misrata thinks that amounted to justice.

"There was no mercy for foreign mercenaries," Sheikh Fathie Dariez said.

The nearly 500 prisoners he holds seemed well treated, but this man said that in another jail he had been brutalized. He said they beat him because they assumed he was pro-Qaddafi.

Libya's new rulers are at risk of being accused of the same kind of abuses they fought to overthrow.

38 Photos

The death of Muammar Qaddafi

View the Full Gallery »

[myth1958]

As if any war ever known didn't feature atrocities by both sides. The Libyan rebels had been subjected to ferocious abuse from Loyalists early on in the war - and for years before under their despotic ruler. When the tide finally turned, it came to be their turn as the ones in charge and revenge for multiple abuses was ruthlessly carried out. Civilized society cringes at this, but war is not fought in a civilized manner, ever. The losers backed the wrong guy, and now they are paying the ultimate price. Shouldn't have gone there, but they did.

[signseeker1717]

Well said.

[longtree-2009]

ah what obama and nato have unleashed in libya. savages. they are no better than the dictator they murdered without trial. saddam was at least tried before being hanged. obama takes credit for what happens in libya now and into the future. rebels would never have won without obama's military assistance. recall mccain saying publicly that the rebels were his heros, wonder if mccain still feels the same as these rebel atrocities surface more and more?

[offthefence]

Well said! I'm tired of the spins in their direction and of these so called "watchdog" groups. Where the heck have they been for the 30 some odd years of Qaddafi rule? Boo friggediy whoo.

[cobalt100]

I wonder. Gadhafi was killed after he was captured. NAT0 warplanes and drones killed most of the people that were in that caravan of vehicles. All these former leaders and pro-Gadhafi supporters killed at point blank range while in a detention center. This sounds like the CIA, under Obama's orders, was predetermined to dispose and kill all or as many as they could, any potential opposition to the new government in Libya. The CIA (Criminals In Action, Murder Inc.)is no stranger to murder, insurrection,torture and general mayhem. They have been doing this for 60 years.

[Sbignewski]

Free health care: For the common people, a neighborhood medic with a bag full of band-aids and aspirin. For "Friends of Brother Leader" world class treatment in the best hospitals in Paris, London, and New York.

Free education until PhD: Where the only subject on the curriculum was the thoughts of and political ideas "Brother Leader".

Free Electricity: So long as one could afford to pay the cost of official "permits" which amounted to bribes for the "Friends of Brother Leader".

No Interest on Loans: Debtors immediately became slaves of the state, indentured servants subject to every whim of the "Friends of Brother Leader". Interest was replaced by involuntary servitude.

Good Unemployment Benefits. Yes you could borrow from the "Friends of Brother Leader" and work for them as servants, thus umemploymnet was virtually eliminated.

A GPD of 10K per Capita: but it ended up in the hands of the "Friends of Brother Leader".

The best standard of living in Africa: (if one leaves out certain parts of Africa) certainly better than living in Sudan. Got to give him that.

Highly subsidized food: Nobody could afford to buy food except from "Friends of Brother Leader".

50K marriage bonus to all newlyweds: which mostly got paid out as bribes and certification fees to "Friends of Brother Leader".

5K child bonus to the parents of every child: Which covered all the fees needed to be paid to (you guessed it) "Friends of Brother Leader".

This is not new, this is called a GANGSTER state, also referred to as a kleptocracy.

Eithr you are naiive, or you yourself were a Friend of Brother Leader".

[redbeachvn]

So what. As you shall sow, so you shall reap. I don't understand the hypocrites. USA has never done that???? Ask any Vietnamese.

[Nikos_Retsos]

I don't see anything unethical or immoral in killing mercenaries imported from sub-Saharan Africa by Gadahfi to snuff out the rebels by killing them. It was reported in the French press that Gadhafi paid them $ 10.000 for signing up, and $ 1000 a day to exterminate the "rats and dogs," as he called the rebels. Those mercenaries cut down thousands of rebels with sniper fire, and killed hundreds of captured rebels. When rebel forces captured cities from Gadhafi's forces, they didn't find any of their comrades captured by Gadhafi's forces alive. They found only their bodies strewn around, or in mass graves.

Mercenaries went to Libya to kill for money - just like Al Capone brought Mafia killers from other cities to kill his opponents in Chicago and then sneak out to provide alibi for him and his mafioso associates. Gadhafi's mercenaries went to Libya to head-hunt for opponents of Gadhafi, but when they were caught, they met a similar fate. That's fair! It is easy for everyone sitting thousands of miles away from the bedlam mentality of a battlefield to take the "high ground" and play the moralist who wants even head-hunters to be treated with bows and proper etiquette - when they are captured by their intended prey.

Should the rebels have just disarmed those professional hit-men after capture, then pay their bus fare, and ship them home to Niger or Mali scot-free? Not really. Wars are NOT: "If you kill me first, you got me; If I catch you before you kill me, you can go home!" That is why the adage says: "Peace is better than war, because life is better than death!" The mercenaries went to war, committed atrocities themselves, and they met a similar fate. Nikos Retsos, retired professor

[leeberation]

It's funny you won't mention that the rebels are al qaeda! You sound like a government shill spiting out garbage. Libya was bombed by NATO into the dark ages. You are a tool who doesn't have his facts straight. Libya was getting ready to enact a gold standard. look it up for yourself tool. Usa/nato want cheap gas and cannot afford it at gold standard price. Look it up tool.

[signseeker1717]

Professor, thank you for your thoughtful, insightful post.

[Evilsam]

Kind of looks like Ghadaffi was right about one thing,something the US and NATO never really checked. The so called rebels were in fact Islamic rebels intent on an Islamic sharia based government with strict sharia law..Mission accomplished Mr.Obama

[curraghtemple]

Colonel Gaddafi was a hero and a visionary supported by his people. The fact that such a large number of Americans believe the opposite is not only due to an obvious and complete failure to research the subject but also to manipulation by the media in support of the corporate agenda.

[myth1958]

No leader who employs thugs to terrorize his people, bombs neutral airplanes from the sky (Lockerbie) and funds terror groups which have no morals can claim the high ground. Certainly our own forces have done the same - but we are open to scrutiny by the press and the public and the rest of the world every day: Libya's violent acts were too often carried out in secret, over many years. His death is vengeance for a lifetime of brutality, and ends his sorry chapter in history from the end of a gun - just like he ruled. Karma always catches up.

[jackobyte]

They should have got immunity before they started! amateurs.

[usastupid]

Lesson learnd from Gadaffi tragidy: Never scrap nuclear bombs as Gadaffi did to appease the West. I am very sure Obama/NATO would never have dared to savagely bomb Libya as it did. Why don't they intervene Syria/ Iran/ China? The answer is simple: these country have nukes! By the way, most of Gaddaffi's animies are Islamic extremists whom he called rats. Gaddaffi is a reformed terrorist himself and have tried to do good in last 20 years.