Libyan rebels could face war crime charges over Gaddafi's 'execution'
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 11:42PM Libya's rebel army has been accused of executing both Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim in cold blood as the United Nations suggested their deaths amounted to war crimes.
Human rights groups and Gaddafi's wife Safia called for an independent investigation into the deaths, which robbed victims' families of the chance to see Gaddafi put on trial for his murderous acts.
Both Gaddafi and his son were filmed or photographed alive and relatively uninjured after their capture on Thursday, before both died of multiple gunshot wounds.
On Friday, at the refrigeration units in Misrata where the two bodies are being kept before their burial, young men queued for the chance to see the corpses and take pictures of them on their mobile phones.
Libya's interim president, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, is expected to declare the country officially liberated today, though the fate of Saif al-Islam, Gaddafi's chosen heir and the only man who could continue the fight, remains unclear.
Within Libya, Gaddafi's death has been a cause for celebration, but its new leaders have been warned that summary executions will not be tolerated by the international community.
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