Gadhafi son sentenced to death by firing squad

In this Thursday, March 10, 2011 file photo, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, son of Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi, gestures as he speaks to supporters and the media in Tripoli. A Libyan court sentenced Seif al-Islam, to death over killings in 2011 uprising on Tuesday, July 28, 2015.
In this Thursday, March 10, 2011 file photo, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, son of Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi, gestures as he speaks to supporters and the media in Tripoli. A Libyan court sentenced Seif al-Islam, to death over killings in 2011 uprising on Tuesday, July 28, 2015.

TRIPOLI, Libya -- A court in Libya on Tuesday sentenced a son of Moammar Gadhafi to death by firing squad after convicting him of murder and inciting genocide during the country's 2011 civil war.

It is unlikely, however, that the sentence against Seif al-Islam Gadhafi will be carried out anytime soon, as a militia in western Libya has refused to hand him over to the government for the past four years.

The Tripoli court sentenced to death eight others, including former Libyan spy chief Abdullah al-Senoussi, who is in custody. Also sentenced to death were foreign intelligence chief Abuzed Omar-Dorda and Gadhafi's former Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi.

The rulings can be appealed, and a defense lawyer in the case, Ali Aldaa, said he would challenge the sentences before the Libyan Supreme Court. Another lawyer, Hussien Al-Sherif, described the verdicts as "very harsh."

"We did not expect the sentences to be like this for the defendants, and there will be an appeal to the Supreme Court," he said.

Libya has slid into chaos since the overthrow and killing of Moammar Gadhafi, who ruled the country for four decades. It is now divided between an elected parliament and government in the far eastern city of Tobruk, which now has little power, and an Islamist militia-backed government in the west that has seized Tripoli.

Since the end of the civil war, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi has been held by a militia in Zintan, which is allied with the Tobruk-based government.

The court that convicted him is affiliated with the Tripoli-based government, as is the Supreme Court, which has in the past ruled that the internationally recognized government in Tobruk is illegitimate.

A total of 38 Gadhafi-era figures were on trial, but only 29 were present in court Tuesday. Four were acquitted, one was remanded to a psychiatric hospital, and the remaining defendants were given sentences ranging from five years to life imprisonment.

U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said the trial was "undermined by serious due process violations" and called on the Libyan Supreme Court to independently review the verdict. Other international organizations, including the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Council of Europe, condemned the verdict.

"This trial has been plagued by persistent, credible allegations of fair trial breaches that warrant independent and impartial judicial review," said Joe Stork, Human Rights Watch's deputy Middle East and North Africa director. "The victims of the serious crimes committed during the 2011 uprising deserve justice, but that can only be delivered through fair and transparent proceedings."

The Council of Europe said the case should have been turned over to the International Criminal Court at The Hague, which wants Seif al-Islam Gadhafi on charges of crimes against humanity.

The British-educated Seif al-Islam was the second-oldest of Moammar Gadhafi's seven sons and was a prominent figure in his father's regime. During the uprising, he returned to Gadhafi's side and vigorously attempted to rally loyalists. He was seized while trying to flee to neighboring Niger after rebel forces took Tripoli.

During the trial, he was accused of recruiting mercenaries who were given Libyan nationality, planning and carrying out attacks on civilian targets from the air, forming armed groups and shooting into crowds of demonstrators. Among the charges he was convicted of were incitement of murder and rape.

Hundreds of militias in Libya are battling for power and turf. Meanwhile, extremists returning from fighting in the Syrian civil war have created a local affiliate of the Islamic State group, taking territory and beheading captives.

The United Nations envoy for Libya has urged the Islamist-led government in Tripoli to sign a peace deal that would establish a unity government. Members of the Tobruk government and regional leaders signed the unity accord in Morocco on July 11.

Information for this article was contributed by Brian Rohan and Martin Benedyk of The Associated Press.

A Section on 07/29/2015

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