Capture Of Saif Brings Final Curtain Down On Gaddafi Regime

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15804299

The curtain has come down for the final time on Colonel Gaddafi's regime.

His son Saif al-Islam, long considered to be the heir to his father, has now been captured and should soon be taken back to Tripoli. He will now face trial for his part in the murder and torture of the people so brutally oppressed for 42 years.

Saif is already wanted by the ICC in the Hague for alleged crimes against humanity. Had he managed to escape into neighbouring Niger and been captured there, there is no doubt that Saif would very soon be on his way to the Netherlands, as Niger recognises the ICC whereas Libya does not.

Therefore the most probable outcome of Saif Gaddafi's arrest and detention will be a trial in Libya itself.

However this is a country that has hardly started to recover from the brutalities of the late Colonel's regime. Libya's entire infrastructure has to be rebuilt from scratch following the end of 42 years of dictatorship. There is no proper justice system in place to speak of at present.

How, when or where in Libya Saif will be tried in court is at the moment unclear, despite the promises of the NTC that he will receive a fair trial.

What the international community is absolutely unequivocal about is that Saif must face justice through the proper legal channels and must not be subjected to the same kind of mob execution his father was.

One one level, it is very difficult to blame those who have been subjected to decades of the most brutal dictatorship for wanting to exact swift revenge on the man responsible. However, it was widely reported that Colonel Gaddafi was sexually assaulted on his capture. It remains a huge disappointment to many that this dictator was not put on trial, neither in the Hague nor by his own people.http://labourlist.org/2011/10/the-libyan-people-deserved-a-trial/

No matter how brutal a dictator the Colonel may have been, Libya will face enormous international condemnation if it fails to put Saif on trial according to international law.

The new Libya must show the world that it follows the same moral compass as those nations that helped it to overthrow Gaddafi's regime.

Only time will tell if Libya can rise from the ashes and fully embrace democracy.