Gaddafi�s son, 8 aids sentenced to death

AFP, TRIPOLI: A Libyan court Tuesday sentenced a son and eight aides of slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi to death for crimes during the 2011 uprising, in a verdict strongly criticised by rights campaigners.
Seif al-Islam, the strongman's one-time heir apparent who is also wanted by the International Criminal Court, was tried in his absence because he is held by militia opposed to the Tripoli authorities.
Former intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi and Kadhafi's last prime minister Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmudi were also sentenced to death, although they can appeal to the supreme court.
The 37 defendants were charged with crimes including murder and complicity in incitement to rape during the 2011 revolution. Libya has been wracked by conflict since Kadhafi's overthrow, with rival governments and powerful militias battling for control of key cities and the country's oil riches.
The trial, which opened in the Libyan capital in April last year, has been dogged by criticism from human rights watchdogs and an unresolved dispute with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague over jurisdiction in the case of the Kadhafi son.  Rights groups say the trial was deeply flawed and missed an opportunity to expose the crimes of the Kadhafi regime. Amnesty International called the death sentences "appalling".

Gaddafi�s son, 8 aids sentenced to death

AFP, TRIPOLI: A Libyan court Tuesday sentenced a son and eight aides of slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi to death for crimes during the 2011 uprising, in a verdict strongly criticised by rights campaigners. Seif al-Islam, the strongmans one-time heir apparent who is also wanted by the International Criminal Court, was tried in his absence because he is held by militia opposed to the Tripoli authorities. Former intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi and Kadhafis last prime minister Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmudi were also sentenced to death, although they can appeal to the supreme court. The 37 defendants were charged with crimes including murder and complicity in incitement to rape during the 2011 revolution. Libya has been wracked by conflict since Kadhafis overthrow, with rival governments and powerful militias battling for control of key cities and the countrys oil riches. The trial, which opened in the Libyan capital in April last year, has been dogged by criticism from human rights watchdogs and an unresolved dispute with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague over jurisdiction in the case of the Kadhafi son. Rights groups say the trial was deeply flawed and missed an opportunity to expose the crimes of the Kadhafi regime. Amnesty International called the death sentences appalling.