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The [[Kingdom of Libya]], from 1951 to 1969, was heavily influenced and educated by the British and American oil companies. The King was very westernized and Libya also had [[Constitution of Libya (1951)|a consitution]]. The kingdom, however, was marked by a [[Feudalism|feudal]] regime, where [[Libya]] had a low [[literacy]] rate of 10%, a low [[life expectancy]] of 57 years, and 40% of the population lived in [[Shanty town|shanties]], [[tent]]s, or [[cave]]s.<ref name="dailynews"/>
The [[Kingdom of Libya]], from 1951 to 1969, was heavily influenced and educated by the British and American oil companies. The King was very westernized and Libya also had [[Constitution of Libya (1951)|a consitution]]. The kingdom, however, was marked by a [[Feudalism|feudal]] regime, where [[Libya]] had a low [[literacy]] rate of 10%, a low [[life expectancy]] of 57 years, and 40% of the population lived in [[Shanty town|shanties]], [[tent]]s, or [[cave]]s.<ref name="dailynews"/>


From 1969 to 2011, the [[history of Libya]] was marked by a system called the ''[[Jamahiriya]]'' ("state of the masses"), a "direct democracy" political system established by [[Muammar Gaddafi]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Robbins|first=James|title=Eyewitness: Dialogue in the desert|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6425873.stm|accessdate=22 October 2011|date=7 March 2007}}</ref> who nominally stepped down from power in 1977, but remained sole unelected leader, comparing himself in 2011 to Britain's Queen. He died at the hands of his subjects in October 2011. Under the ''Jamahiriya'', the country's literacy rate rose to 90%, and [[welfare]] systems were introduced that allowed access to free [[education]], free [[healthcare]], and financial assistance for housing. The [[Great Manmade River]] was also built to allow free access to fresh water across large parts of the country.<ref name="dailynews">{{cite web|last=Azad|first=Sher|title=Gaddafi and the media|url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/10/22/fea02.asp|work=[[Daily News (Sri Lanka){{!}}Daily News]]|accessdate=22 October 2011|date=2011-10-22}}</ref> In addition, financial support was provided for university scholarships and employment programs,<ref>{{cite web|last=Shimatsu|first=Yoichi|title=Villain or Hero? Desert Lion Perishes, Leaving West Explosive Legacy|url=http://newamericamedia.org/2011/10/villain-or-hero-desert-lion-perishes-leaving-the-west-explosive-legacy.php|publisher=[[New America Media]]|accessdate=23 October 2011|date=October 21, 2011}}</ref> while the nation as a whole was largely [[List of sovereign states by public debt|debt-free]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Zimbabwe: Reason Wafavarova - Reverence for Hatred of Democracy|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201107210928.html|publisher=[[AllAfrica.com]]|accessdate=23 October 2011|date=21 July 2011}}</ref> As a result, Libya's [[Human Development Index]] in 2010 was the highest in [[Africa]] and greater than that of [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref name="dailynews"/>
From 1969 to 2011, the [[history of Libya]] was marked by a system called the ''[[Jamahiriya]]'' ("state of the masses"), a "[[direct democracy]]" political system established by [[Muammar Gaddafi]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Robbins|first=James|title=Eyewitness: Dialogue in the desert|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6425873.stm|accessdate=22 October 2011|date=7 March 2007}}</ref> who nominally stepped down from power in 1977, but remained an unofficial "Brother Leader" until 2011. Under the ''Jamahiriya'', the country's literacy rate rose to 90%, and [[welfare]] systems were introduced that allowed access to free [[education]], free [[healthcare]], and financial assistance for housing. The [[Great Manmade River]] was also built to allow free access to fresh water across large parts of the country.<ref name="dailynews">{{cite web|last=Azad|first=Sher|title=Gaddafi and the media|url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/10/22/fea02.asp|work=[[Daily News (Sri Lanka){{!}}Daily News]]|accessdate=22 October 2011|date=2011-10-22}}</ref> In addition, financial support was provided for university scholarships and employment programs,<ref>{{cite web|last=Shimatsu|first=Yoichi|title=Villain or Hero? Desert Lion Perishes, Leaving West Explosive Legacy|url=http://newamericamedia.org/2011/10/villain-or-hero-desert-lion-perishes-leaving-the-west-explosive-legacy.php|publisher=[[New America Media]]|accessdate=23 October 2011|date=October 21, 2011}}</ref> while the nation as a whole was largely [[List of sovereign states by public debt|debt-free]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Zimbabwe: Reason Wafavarova - Reverence for Hatred of Democracy|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201107210928.html|publisher=[[AllAfrica.com]]|accessdate=23 October 2011|date=21 July 2011}}</ref> As a result, Libya's [[Human Development Index]] in 2010 was the highest in [[Africa]] and greater than that of [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref name="dailynews"/>

⚫
However, the country had been accused by the [[Amnesty International]] and other bodies of having a poor [[human rights]] record. Amnesty noted in its 2010 report <ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/libya/report-2010}}</ref> that hundreds of cases of enforced disappearance and other serious human rights violations committed in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s remained unresolved. Amnesty added that the Internal Security Agency (ISA), implicated in those violations, continued to operate with impunity. The [[U.S. Department of State]]'s report for 2004 and the [[Freedom House]] index of 2005. In 2005 [[Freedom House]] rated [[political rights]] in Libya as "7" (1 representing the most free and 7 the least free rating), [[civil liberties]] as "7", and gave it the freedom rating of "Not Free". Freedom House receives about 80% of its budget from the U.S. government. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/pdf/Charts2006.pdf|title=Freedom in the World 2006|publisher=[[Freedom House]]|date=2005-12-16|accessdate=2006-07-27|format=PDF}}<br/>See also [[Freedom in the World 2006]], [[List of indices of freedom]]</ref>. In 1998, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) expressed concern about Libya’s alleged “acts of discrimination against migrant workers on the basis of their national or ethnic origin.” The United Nations' human rights council accused Libya of racism against black African workers in 2010.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=8411733 |title=Libya Must End Racism Against Black African Migrants and Others}}</ref> Human Rights Watch in September 2006 documented how migrant workers and other foreigners were subjected to human rights abuses, including beatings.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.unwatch.org/atf/cf/%7B6deb65da-be5b-4cae-8056-8bf0bedf4d17%7D/WRITTEN%20STATEMENT%20ITEM%209.PDF}}</ref>


⚫
The [[United Nations Human Rights Council]] mostly praised Libya's [[human rights]] record in a January 2011 report,<ref name="ohchr"/> while [[Amnesty International]] was more critical in its 2010 report.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/libya/report-2010}}</ref> In 2005, the US government-funded [[Freedom House]] gave low ratings for [[political rights]] and [[civil liberties]], and gave it the freedom rating of "Not Free".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/pdf/Charts2006.pdf|title=Freedom in the World 2006|publisher=[[Freedom House]]|date=2005-12-16|accessdate=2006-07-27|format=PDF}}<br/>See also [[Freedom in the World 2006]], [[List of indices of freedom]]</ref> In 1998, [[Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination|CERD]] expressed concern about alleged “acts of discrimination against migrant workers on the basis of their national or ethnic origin,” which the United Nations Human Rights Council also expressed concern about in 2010.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=8411733 |title=Libya Must End Racism Against Black African Migrants and Others}}</ref> Human Rights Watch in September 2006 documented how migrant workers and other foreigners were subjected to human rights abuses,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.unwatch.org/atf/cf/%7B6deb65da-be5b-4cae-8056-8bf0bedf4d17%7D/WRITTEN%20STATEMENT%20ITEM%209.PDF}}</ref> which have increased drastically against black Africans following the [[2011 Libyan Civil War]].<ref name="guardian_milne"/>


==Political, ethnic and religious oppression==
==Political, ethnic and religious oppression==
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Until recently, foreign languages were not part of the school curriculum. One protester in 2011 described the situation as: "None of us can speak [[English language|English]] or [[French language|French]]. He kept us ignorant and blindfolded".<ref>{{Cite news|title=A New Flag Flies in the East|date=24 February 2011| work = [[The Economist]]}}</ref>
Until recently, foreign languages were not part of the school curriculum. One protester in 2011 described the situation as: "None of us can speak [[English language|English]] or [[French language|French]]. He kept us ignorant and blindfolded".<ref>{{Cite news|title=A New Flag Flies in the East|date=24 February 2011| work = [[The Economist]]}}</ref>


The [[General People's Committee|Revolutionary Committees]] have been accused of resembling similar systems in [[Totalitarianism|Totalitarian]] countries and reportedly 10 to 20 percent of Libyans work in surveillance for these committees. The surveillance takes place in government, in factories, and in the education sector.<ref name="Mohamed Eljhami"/> They also posted bounties for the killing of critics abroad.<ref name="Mohamed Eljhami" /><ref name="autogenerated758">''The Middle East and North Africa 2003'' (2002). Eur. p. 758.</ref> As of 2004, [[Libya]] still provided bounties for critics, including 1&nbsp;million dollars for Ashur Shamis, a Libyan-British journalist.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/mar/28/politics.libya |title=Gadaffi Still Hunts 'Stray Dogs' in UK |work= [[The Guardian]] |date=28 March 2004 | author = [[Martin Bright|, Bright, Martin]]}}</ref> The political repression often practiced by the Revolutionary Committees was criticized by Gaddafi, who stated that "they deviated, harmed, tortured" and that "the true revolutionary does not practise repression."<ref>{{cite book|last=Ham|first=Anthony|title=Libya|year=2007|publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]|location=Footscray, Victoria|isbn=1740594932|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=lPaNiy3YisIC&pg=PA41|author=Anthony Ham|edition=2nd ed.|page=41}}</ref>
The [[General People's Committee|Revolutionary Committees]] have been accused of resembling similar systems in [[Totalitarianism|Totalitarian]] countries and reportedly 10 to 20 percent of Libyans work in surveillance for these committees. The surveillance reportedly takes place in government, in factories, and in the education sector.<ref name="Mohamed Eljhami"/> They also posted bounties for the killing of critics abroad.<ref name="Mohamed Eljhami" /><ref name="autogenerated758">''The Middle East and North Africa 2003'' (2002). Eur. p. 758.</ref> As of 2004, [[Libya]] still provided bounties for critics, including 1&nbsp;million dollars for Ashur Shamis, a Libyan-British journalist.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/mar/28/politics.libya |title=Gadaffi Still Hunts 'Stray Dogs' in UK |work= [[The Guardian]] |date=28 March 2004 | author = [[Martin Bright|, Bright, Martin]]}}</ref> Opposition activists were occasionally executed publicly and the executions were rebroadcast on state television channels.<ref name="Mohamed Eljhami">{{cite web|url=http://www.meforum.org/878/libya-and-the-us-qadhafi-unrepentant|title=Libya and the U.S.: Qadhafi Unrepentant| work = [[Middle East Quarterly]]|author=Eljahmi, Mohamed|year=2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Qaddafi, Terrorism, and the Origins of the U.S. Attack on Libya|author= David, Brian Lee }}</ref> The political repression occasionally practiced by the Revolutionary Committees was criticized by Gaddafi, who stated that "they deviated, harmed, tortured" and that "the true revolutionary does not practise repression."<ref name="ham_libya">{{cite book|last=Ham|first=Anthony|title=Libya|year=2007|publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]|location=Footscray, Victoria|isbn=1740594932|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=lPaNiy3YisIC&pg=PA41|author=Anthony Ham|edition=2nd ed.|page=41}}</ref>

The regime has often executed opposition activists publicly and the executions are rebroadcast on state television channels.<ref name="Mohamed Eljhami">{{cite web|url=http://www.meforum.org/878/libya-and-the-us-qadhafi-unrepentant|title=Libya and the U.S.: Qadhafi Unrepentant| work = [[Middle East Quarterly]]|author=Eljahmi, Mohamed|year=2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Qaddafi, Terrorism, and the Origins of the U.S. Attack on Libya|author= David, Brian Lee }}</ref>


==HIV trial==
==HIV trial==
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==Torture==
==Torture==
In January 2011, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya stated that the practice of torture and ill treatment was forbidden in article 434 of the Penal Code, which stated that public officials who had ordered the torture of a person or had committed an act of torture were sentenced to 3 to 10 years’ imprisonment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review: Libyan Arab Jamahiriya|url=http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/16session/A-HRC-16-15.pdf|work=[[Universal Periodic Review]]|publisher=[[United Nations General Assembly]]|accessdate=26 October 2011|date=4 January 2011}}</ref>
In January 2011, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya stated that the practice of torture and ill treatment was forbidden in article 434 of the Penal Code, which stated that public officials who had ordered the torture of a person or had committed an act of torture were sentenced to 3 to 10 years’ imprisonment.<ref name="ohchr">{{cite web|title=Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review: Libyan Arab Jamahiriya|url=http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/16session/A-HRC-16-15.pdf|work=[[Universal Periodic Review]]|publisher=[[United Nations Human Rights Council]], [[United Nations General Assembly]]|accessdate=26 October 2011|date=4 January 2011}}</ref> Gaddafi openly condemned the use of torture, as a criticism against several [[General People's Committee|Revolutionary Committees]] that had condoned the use of torture.<ref name="ham_libya"/>


However, torture was used by Libya's security forces to punish rebels after the rebellion hit north west Libya during the [[2011 Libyan Civil War]].<ref>{{registration required|date=August 2011}} {{cite news| url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/world/africa/06libya.html | work= [[The New York Times]] | author = Kirkpatrick, David D.; [[C.J. Chivers|Chivers, C.J.]] | title=Photos Found in Libya Show Abuses Under Qaddafi | date=5 April 2011}}</ref>
Torture was used by Libya's security forces to punish rebels after the rebellion hit north west Libya during the [[2011 Libyan Civil War]].<ref>{{registration required|date=August 2011}} {{cite news| url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/world/africa/06libya.html | work= [[The New York Times]] | author = Kirkpatrick, David D.; [[C.J. Chivers|Chivers, C.J.]] | title=Photos Found in Libya Show Abuses Under Qaddafi | date=5 April 2011}}</ref>


==2011 civil war==
==2011 civil war==
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On 26 February 2011, the [[United Nations Security Council]] voted unanimously in [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970|a resolution]] to impose strict sanctions, including targeted travel bans, against Gaddafi's government, as well as to refer Gaddafi and other members of his regime to the [[International Criminal Court]] for investigation into allegations of brutality against civilians, which could constitute [[crimes against humanity]] in violation of international law.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41785849/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/ |title=U.N. Security Council Slaps Sanctions on Libya |date=26 February 2011 |accessdate=27 February 2011 | publisher = [[MSNBC]]}}</ref> There are many reports of these sanctions being broken where support against Libyan government forces is the case.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://rt.com/usa/news/egypt-arming-libyan-rebels/ |title=Report: Egypt Arming Libyan Rebels |date=18 March 2011 |accessdate=20 March 2011 | publisher = [[RT (TV network)|RT]]}}</ref>
On 26 February 2011, the [[United Nations Security Council]] voted unanimously in [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970|a resolution]] to impose strict sanctions, including targeted travel bans, against Gaddafi's government, as well as to refer Gaddafi and other members of his regime to the [[International Criminal Court]] for investigation into allegations of brutality against civilians, which could constitute [[crimes against humanity]] in violation of international law.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41785849/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/ |title=U.N. Security Council Slaps Sanctions on Libya |date=26 February 2011 |accessdate=27 February 2011 | publisher = [[MSNBC]]}}</ref> There are many reports of these sanctions being broken where support against Libyan government forces is the case.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://rt.com/usa/news/egypt-arming-libyan-rebels/ |title=Report: Egypt Arming Libyan Rebels |date=18 March 2011 |accessdate=20 March 2011 | publisher = [[RT (TV network)|RT]]}}</ref>


[[NATO]] have been criticized for claiming to protect civilians, but instead being responsible for the deaths of far more civilians as a result. NATO and the [[Anti-Gaddafi forces|rebel forces]] have been criticized for a number of human rights violations, including indiscriminate bombardment of heavily-populated cities, the massacre of civilians, the torture and killing of [[prisoner of war|prisoners of war]], and racist lynchings of [[black people]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Milne|first=Seumas|title=If the Libyan war was about saving lives, it was a catastrophic failure|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/26/libya-war-saving-lives-catastrophic-failure|accessdate=27 October 2011|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=26 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Deceit in Nato bombing of Gadhafi cities and loyalists revealed|url=http://opinion.inquirer.net/15883/deceit-in-nato-bombing-of-gadhafi-cities-and-loyalists-revealed|accessdate=27 October 2011|newspaper=[[Philippine Daily Inquirer]]|date=October 23, 2011}}</ref><ref name="pravda_march">{{cite news|last=Bancroft-Hinchey|first=Timothy|title=One Million March for Gaddafi: Where is this story?|url=http://english.pravda.ru/world/africa/23-06-2011/118288-million_gaddafi-0/|accessdate=25 October 2011|newspaper=[[Pravda]]|date=23/06/2011|month=June|year=2011}}</ref><ref name="lizzie_phelan">{{cite news|last=Phelan|first=Lizzie|title=Libyan majority in support of Gaddafi|url=http://www.presstv.ir/detail/185602.html|accessdate=25 October 2011|date=June 21, 2011|author=Lizzie Phelan|authorlink=Lizzie Phelan|agency=[[Press TV]]|month=June|year=2011}}</ref>
[[NATO]] have been criticized for claiming to protect civilians, but instead being responsible for the deaths of far more civilians as a result. NATO and the [[Anti-Gaddafi forces|rebel forces]] have been criticized for a number of human rights violations, including indiscriminate bombardment of heavily-populated cities, the massacre of civilians, the torture and killing of [[prisoner of war|prisoners of war]], and racist lynchings of [[black people]].<ref name="guardian_milne">{{cite news|last=Milne|first=Seumas|title=If the Libyan war was about saving lives, it was a catastrophic failure|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/26/libya-war-saving-lives-catastrophic-failure|accessdate=27 October 2011|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=26 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Deceit in Nato bombing of Gadhafi cities and loyalists revealed|url=http://opinion.inquirer.net/15883/deceit-in-nato-bombing-of-gadhafi-cities-and-loyalists-revealed|accessdate=27 October 2011|newspaper=[[Philippine Daily Inquirer]]|date=October 23, 2011}}</ref><ref name="pravda_march">{{cite news|last=Bancroft-Hinchey|first=Timothy|title=One Million March for Gaddafi: Where is this story?|url=http://english.pravda.ru/world/africa/23-06-2011/118288-million_gaddafi-0/|accessdate=25 October 2011|newspaper=[[Pravda]]|date=23/06/2011|month=June|year=2011}}</ref><ref name="lizzie_phelan">{{cite news|last=Phelan|first=Lizzie|title=Libyan majority in support of Gaddafi|url=http://www.presstv.ir/detail/185602.html|accessdate=25 October 2011|date=June 21, 2011|author=Lizzie Phelan|authorlink=Lizzie Phelan|agency=[[Press TV]]|month=June|year=2011}}</ref>

During the [[Battle of Sirte (2011)|Battle of Sirte]], the rebels killed many civilians, including men, women, and children, while there were also reports of the rebels harassing and stealing from the locals. According to one resident, "The rebels are worse than rats. Nato is the same as [[Osama bin Laden]]." According to another local woman, "We lived in democracy under Muammer Gaddafi, he was not a dictator. I lived in freedom, Libyan women had full human rights. It isn't that we need Muammer Gaddafi again, but we want to live just as we did before." A local elderly woman stated "They are killing our children. Why are they doing this? For what? Life was good before!"<ref name="telegraph_sirte">{{cite news|last=Sherlock|first=Ruth|title=Gaddafi loyalists stranded as battle for Sirte rages|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8802302/Gaddafi-loyalists-stranded-as-battle-for-Sirte-rages.html|accessdate=28 October 2011|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=2 October 2011}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 16:09, 28 October 2011

Politics of Libya

Arab League Member State of the Arab League

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The Kingdom of Libya, from 1951 to 1969, was heavily influenced and educated by the British and American oil companies. The King was very westernized and Libya also had a consitution. The kingdom, however, was marked by a feudal regime, where Libya had a low literacy rate of 10%, a low life expectancy of 57 years, and 40% of the population lived in shanties, tents, or caves.[1]

From 1969 to 2011, the history of Libya was marked by a system called the Jamahiriya ("state of the masses"), a "direct democracy" political system established by Muammar Gaddafi,[2] who nominally stepped down from power in 1977, but remained an unofficial "Brother Leader" until 2011. Under the Jamahiriya, the country's literacy rate rose to 90%, and welfare systems were introduced that allowed access to free education, free healthcare, and financial assistance for housing. The Great Manmade River was also built to allow free access to fresh water across large parts of the country.[1] In addition, financial support was provided for university scholarships and employment programs,[3] while the nation as a whole was largely debt-free.[4] As a result, Libya's Human Development Index in 2010 was the highest in Africa and greater than that of Saudi Arabia.[1]

The United Nations Human Rights Council mostly praised Libya's human rights record in a January 2011 report,[5] while Amnesty International was more critical in its 2010 report.[6] In 2005, the US government-funded Freedom House gave low ratings for political rights and civil liberties, and gave it the freedom rating of "Not Free".[7] In 1998, CERD expressed concern about alleged “acts of discrimination against migrant workers on the basis of their national or ethnic origin,” which the United Nations Human Rights Council also expressed concern about in 2010.[8] Human Rights Watch in September 2006 documented how migrant workers and other foreigners were subjected to human rights abuses,[9] which have increased drastically against black Africans following the 2011 Libyan Civil War.[10]

Political, ethnic and religious oppression

The US State Department claimed that ethnic, Islamic fundamentalist and tribal minorities suffer discrimination, and that the state continues to restrict the labour rights of foreign workers.[11]

Until recently, foreign languages were not part of the school curriculum. One protester in 2011 described the situation as: "None of us can speak English or French. He kept us ignorant and blindfolded".[12]

The Revolutionary Committees have been accused of resembling similar systems in Totalitarian countries and reportedly 10 to 20 percent of Libyans work in surveillance for these committees. The surveillance reportedly takes place in government, in factories, and in the education sector.[13] They also posted bounties for the killing of critics abroad.[13][14] As of 2004, Libya still provided bounties for critics, including 1 million dollars for Ashur Shamis, a Libyan-British journalist.[15] Opposition activists were occasionally executed publicly and the executions were rebroadcast on state television channels.[13][16] The political repression occasionally practiced by the Revolutionary Committees was criticized by Gaddafi, who stated that "they deviated, harmed, tortured" and that "the true revolutionary does not practise repression."[17]

HIV trial

One issue was that of the HIV trial in Libya, in which six foreign health workers (five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor) were accused of deliberately infecting 426 children with HIV-tainted blood in a hospital in 1999. On May 6, 2004, a Libyan court sentenced the workers to death. They were eventually freed in 2007, following European diplomatic mobilisation.

Abu Salim prison massacre

Amnesty International has called for an independent inquiry into deaths that occurred there in Abu Salim maximum security prison in the 1996 riot,[18] Human Rights Watch believes that 1,270 prisoners were killed.[19][20]

Torture

In January 2011, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya stated that the practice of torture and ill treatment was forbidden in article 434 of the Penal Code, which stated that public officials who had ordered the torture of a person or had committed an act of torture were sentenced to 3 to 10 years’ imprisonment.[5] Gaddafi openly condemned the use of torture, as a criticism against several Revolutionary Committees that had condoned the use of torture.[17]

Torture was used by Libya's security forces to punish rebels after the rebellion hit north west Libya during the 2011 Libyan Civil War.[21]

2011 civil war

Main articles: Human rights violations in the 2011 Libyan civil war, Muammar Gaddafi's response to the 2011 Libyan civil war, and Protests against the 2011 military intervention in Libya

Various states and supranational bodies have condemned the use of military and mercenaries against Libyan civilians during the 2011 Libyan civil war, an allegation that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi denies.[22]

After an emergency meeting on 22 February, the Arab League suspended Libya from taking part in council meetings and Moussa issued a statement condemning the "crimes against the current peaceful popular protests and demonstrations in several Libyan cities."[23][24] Libya was suspended from the UN Human Rights Council by a unanimous vote of the UN General Assembly, citing the Gaddafi government's use of violence against protesters.[25] A number of governments, including Britain, Canada, Switzerland, the United States, Germany and Australia took action to freeze assets of Gaddafi and his associates.[26] The move was criticised as double-standard as numerous similar human right abuses in Bahrain, Yemen or elsewhere produced no action at all.[27]

On 26 February 2011, the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously in a resolution to impose strict sanctions, including targeted travel bans, against Gaddafi's government, as well as to refer Gaddafi and other members of his regime to the International Criminal Court for investigation into allegations of brutality against civilians, which could constitute crimes against humanity in violation of international law.[28] There are many reports of these sanctions being broken where support against Libyan government forces is the case.[29]

NATO have been criticized for claiming to protect civilians, but instead being responsible for the deaths of far more civilians as a result. NATO and the rebel forces have been criticized for a number of human rights violations, including indiscriminate bombardment of heavily-populated cities, the massacre of civilians, the torture and killing of prisoners of war, and racist lynchings of black people.[10][30][31][32]

During the Battle of Sirte, the rebels killed many civilians, including men, women, and children, while there were also reports of the rebels harassing and stealing from the locals. According to one resident, "The rebels are worse than rats. Nato is the same as Osama bin Laden." According to another local woman, "We lived in democracy under Muammer Gaddafi, he was not a dictator. I lived in freedom, Libyan women had full human rights. It isn't that we need Muammer Gaddafi again, but we want to live just as we did before." A local elderly woman stated "They are killing our children. Why are they doing this? For what? Life was good before!"[33]

See also

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References

  1. ^ a b c Azad, Sher (2011-10-22). "Gaddafi and the media". Daily News. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  2. ^ Robbins, James (7 March 2007). "Eyewitness: Dialogue in the desert". Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  3. ^ Shimatsu, Yoichi (October 21, 2011). "Villain or Hero? Desert Lion Perishes, Leaving West Explosive Legacy". New America Media. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  4. ^ "Zimbabwe: Reason Wafavarova - Reverence for Hatred of Democracy". AllAfrica.com. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  5. ^ a b "Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review: Libyan Arab Jamahiriya" (PDF). Universal Periodic Review. United Nations Human Rights Council, United Nations General Assembly. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  6. ^ http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/libya/report-2010. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ^ "Freedom in the World 2006" (PDF). Freedom House. 2005-12-16. Retrieved 2006-07-27.
    See also Freedom in the World 2006, List of indices of freedom
  8. ^ "Libya Must End Racism Against Black African Migrants and Others".
  9. ^ http://www.unwatch.org/atf/cf/%7B6deb65da-be5b-4cae-8056-8bf0bedf4d17%7D/WRITTEN%20STATEMENT%20ITEM%209.PDF. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ a b Milne, Seumas (26 October 2011). "If the Libyan war was about saving lives, it was a catastrophic failure". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  11. ^ Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (6 March 2007). "Libya". US State Department. Retrieved 5 March 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ "A New Flag Flies in the East". The Economist. 24 February 2011.
  13. ^ a b c Eljahmi, Mohamed (2006). "Libya and the U.S.: Qadhafi Unrepentant". Middle East Quarterly.
  14. ^ The Middle East and North Africa 2003 (2002). Eur. p. 758.
  15. ^ , Bright, Martin (28 March 2004). "Gadaffi Still Hunts 'Stray Dogs' in UK". The Guardian.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ David, Brian Lee. Qaddafi, Terrorism, and the Origins of the U.S. Attack on Libya.
  17. ^ a b Ham, Anthony (2007). Libya (2nd ed. ed.). Footscray, Victoria: Lonely Planet. p. 41. ISBN 1740594932. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
  18. ^ "Investigation Needed into Prison Deaths". Amnesty International.
  19. ^ "Site news Bilal bin Rabah (the city of Al Bayda, Libya), a meeting with the Libyan Minister of Justice". Binrabah.com. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
  20. ^ "Libya: Free All Unjustly Detained Prisoners". Human Rights Watch.
  21. ^ (registration required) Kirkpatrick, David D.; Chivers, C.J. (5 April 2011). "Photos Found in Libya Show Abuses Under Qaddafi". The New York Times.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ Walker, Portia (1 July 2011). "Gaddafi's son denies ordering use of lethal force against civilians". The Independent. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  23. ^ "Arab League Deeply Concerned by Libya Violence". Reuters. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  24. ^ "Arab League Bars Libya From Meetings, Citing Forces' 'Crimes'". Bloomberg. 22 February 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  25. ^ "Libya Suspended from Rights Body". Al Jazeera English. 1 March 2011.
  26. ^ "Gaddafi Sees Global Assets Frozen". Al Jazeera English. 28 February 2011.
  27. ^ "US Focuses on Libya, Neglects Abuses Elsewhere". RT. 18 March 2011.
  28. ^ "U.N. Security Council Slaps Sanctions on Libya". MSNBC. 26 February 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  29. ^ "Report: Egypt Arming Libyan Rebels". RT. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  30. ^ "Deceit in Nato bombing of Gadhafi cities and loyalists revealed". Philippine Daily Inquirer. October 23, 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  31. ^ Bancroft-Hinchey, Timothy (23/06/2011). "One Million March for Gaddafi: Where is this story?". Pravda. Retrieved 25 October 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  32. ^ Phelan, Lizzie (June 21, 2011). "Libyan majority in support of Gaddafi". Press TV. Retrieved 25 October 2011. {{cite news}}: More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  33. ^ Sherlock, Ruth (2 October 2011). "Gaddafi loyalists stranded as battle for Sirte rages". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
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