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Libya court sentences Gadhafi son to death for 2011 killings

Libyan court sentences Gadhafi’s son, Seif al-Islam, to death over killing…

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The late ruler’s son, who had testified over video link, was sentenced in his absence as he is still being held by armed fighters in the Libyan city of Zintan who refuse to recognize the Tripoli-based government under which he was tried.

The court also handed down in a televised session a death sentence by firing squad to Gadhafi’s former spy chief, Abdullah al-Senussi, and his former prime minister, Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi.

The former politicians were charged with ordering murders of protesters, torture and crimes against humanity.

Libya has been in a state of chaos since the Arab Spring, with two rival governments seemingly powerless to stop the state of conflict and lawlessness sweeping the country as Isis, Islamists and other militias fight for territory.

Prior to the 2011 Libyan civil war, he was believed to be a moderate in comparison to his father.

He has been held in Zintan since his capture in November 2011 despite repeated ICC demands for Libya to hand him over for trial.

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Human rights groups have expressed concerns about the trial, criticising the fact that the accused have had only limited access to lawyers and key documents.

Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam sentenced to death by court in Libya | World news