Published on October 26th, 2011 |
by Nina Schick
Image ©
[caption id="attachment_4954" align="alignleft" width="201" caption="A painted portrait of Gaddafi on stone © Thierry Erhman (2009) Flickr.com"]
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Leaders of the National Transitional Council (NTC), Libya’s interim government, yesterday revealed that Muammar Gaddafi has been buried in a secret location in the Sahara desert. The announcement comes following increasing controversy surrounding the capture and death of the Colonel.
For the past few days, Gaddafi’s decomposing corpse has been on public display in disregard of muslim funeral rites, which call for burial within 24 hours of death. The remains of Gaddafi’s son, Mutassim, and a commander in his army, Abu Bakr Younis, were also displayed alongside those of Gaddafi in a meat refrigerator in Misrata.
As thousands of Libyans queued to see the bodies, the disturbing images were reproduced by media agencies around the world. This followed the controversial broadcasting of amateur footage taken at the time of the Colonel’s capture and subsequent death.
The NTC’s confirmation follows speculation that Gaddafi, like Osama Bin Ladin before him, might have been buried at sea. Amidst rising fears that Gaddafi’s grave could become a shrine or be desecrated by enemies, the two NTC officials reported to have been entrusted with the burial have been sworn to secrecy.
Footage of Gaddafi’s burial has already been broadcast however, by Arabic Channel, Al Aan TV. It is easily accessible online.
A spokesperson for the NTC reported that due respect had been shown at the final funeral rites of Gaddafi and his son. The ceremony is said to have been conducted by the Dictator’s personal cleric, Khaled Tantoush.
In new reports emerging last night, Channel 4 News claimed that Gaddafi had been sexually assaulted before his death. With the circumstances of the Colonel’s death still unclear, and Human Rights Watch reporting on extra-judicial killings by NTC forces, international pressure is mounting on the Council.
The coming weeks will be a trying time for the NTC as it tries to prove to the World that it does indeed have control over its forces and is up to the task of building a new Libya.
Gaddafi buried in secret desert location
A painted portrait of Gaddafi on stone © Thierry Erhman (2009) Flickr.com
Leaders of the National Transitional Council (NTC), Libya’s interim government, yesterday revealed that Muammar Gaddafi has been buried in a secret location in the Sahara desert. The announcement comes following increasing controversy surrounding the capture and death of the Colonel.
For the past few days, Gaddafi’s decomposing corpse has been on public display in disregard of muslim funeral rites, which call for burial within 24 hours of death. The remains of Gaddafi’s son, Mutassim, and a commander in his army, Abu Bakr Younis, were also displayed alongside those of Gaddafi in a meat refrigerator in Misrata.
As thousands of Libyans queued to see the bodies, the disturbing images were reproduced by media agencies around the world. This followed the controversial broadcasting of amateur footage taken at the time of the Colonel’s capture and subsequent death.
The NTC’s confirmation follows speculation that Gaddafi, like Osama Bin Ladin before him, might have been buried at sea. Amidst rising fears that Gaddafi’s grave could become a shrine or be desecrated by enemies, the two NTC officials reported to have been entrusted with the burial have been sworn to secrecy.
Footage of Gaddafi’s burial has already been broadcast however, by Arabic Channel, Al Aan TV. It is easily accessible online.
A spokesperson for the NTC reported that due respect had been shown at the final funeral rites of Gaddafi and his son. The ceremony is said to have been conducted by the Dictator’s personal cleric, Khaled Tantoush.
In new reports emerging last night, Channel 4 News claimed that Gaddafi had been sexually assaulted before his death. With the circumstances of the Colonel’s death still unclear, and Human Rights Watch reporting on extra-judicial killings by NTC forces, international pressure is mounting on the Council.
The coming weeks will be a trying time for the NTC as it tries to prove to the World that it does indeed have control over its forces and is up to the task of building a new Libya.
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