Raja has just joined WITNESS on a one-year assignment as our Middle East and North Africa Program Associate. She works to ensure that video is used effectively to take advantage of the critical moment of transition in the region. Most recently she was in Yemen covering the revolution as a media stringer and photojournalist.  

Children cheering from the sidelines, thousands pour into the sports stadium as excitement fills the air. A student sits at the center of the court as throngs of people and chants shake the arena. This is not you’re average sports event, the crowd not your average sports fans and the man sitting in the center is not their most valuable player; instead this is one of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s infamous public executions.

The young man sits in the center of the stadium, hands pinned behind his back, his legs crossed and his eyes filling deep with sadness and fear of what is to come. This was the infamous 1984 execution of Sadiq Hamed Shwehdi, one of the many Libyan youth opposition members who challenged Gaddafi’s authority in the 80’s.

In April 1984, Sadiq Shwehdi along with many other university students were persecuted by one of the Gaddafi licensed revolutionary committees. Gaddafi formed these “revolutionary committees” in 1977 to monitor the population and repress political opposition. During this time, many students, teachers and professionals were accused of opposing the regime and were sentenced to death. Public hangings and executions were accompanied by live confessions on State TV. These were all tactics part of Gaddafi’s greater campaign of instilling fear in the people. These extrajudicial executions were meant to send a message to the people of Libya. They were meant to exhibit the consequences of challenging his authority. Shwehdi’s execution was filmed and the chilling footage was recently rediscovered at the start of the Libyan uprisings.

Video Tells Libya’s Untold Story 

Shwehdi’s brother Ibrahim came across the VHS footage and he gave the footage to Human Rights Watch. He asked for it to be digitized, telling HRW he wanted to put the video in the right hands. Now this footage is being shared globally and through major media channels.  It corroborates today’s stories of human rights abuses such as lack of freedom of speech and due process. Like many other videos exposing Gaddafi abuses, this footage speaks for those who didn’t have the opportunity to speak. This footage speaks for Libya’s victims.

Shwehdi’s story is now being retold globally through media outlets like the Guardian. The social media community also picked up the story and did what they do best, propagated and circulated the footage worldwide. Shwehdi’s footage brought back bitter memories of the 1984 executions and has drawn new focus to Gaddafi’s abuses. For many Libyans, this footage substantiates the rights violations and injustices that they have been subjected to since the start of the Green Book rule.

Justice for Libyans?

The six month-long conflict between Gaddafi and rebel forces ended in a rebel victory in Tripoli last week as they tightened their grip around Gaddafi’s compound and in a final push finally penetrated what was once his stronghold. Gripping footage of the fight overwhelmed social media sites as citizens continued to report from the ground. For the past six months, residents have documented moment after moment, from recording images of hired mercenaries terrorizing civilians (as seen in the example below) to Gaddafi soldiers forced to kill or be killed.

The appearance of the Shwehdi execution footage continues to outrage and its dissemination will likely continue to emphasize pressure for change and the call for justice.  While Libya is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, the International Criminal Court’s founding treaty, the United Nations Security Council can refer situations to the ICC. On February 26, 2011, the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 1970 by a unanimous 15-0 vote referring the Libyan crisis to the International Criminal Court (ICC) under chapter VII of the UN charter. The Resolution granted the Court authority over events in Libya beginning on February 15, 2011. In June, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for both Muammar Gaddafi and his son Saif. They are wanted on charges of crimes against humanity for their roles in attacks on civilians, including peaceful demonstrators, in Tripoli, Benghazi, Misrata, for example, after the start of pro-democracy protests in eastern Libya on February 15. While the execution of Shwehdi would not follow within the jurisdiction of the Court, the recent attacks against peaceful demonstrators do fall within the court’s jurisdiction. Bringing Gaffafi and his son’s to justice would be an important step in honoring Shwehdi and countless other brave citizens. Evidence such as video footage of Gaddafi crimes will likely play a significant role in telling the stories of his past victims (this paragraph has been updated with corrections and additional information to clarify the role of the ICC in bringing Gaddafi to justice).

With the ICC at Gaddafi’s heels, he won’t be able to hide for long. This footage will continue to follow him from home to home, neighborhood to neighborhood, or as Gaddafi so eloquently puts it “bait bait, dar dar, zanga zanga!”

We will continue to explore this story as it develops.

9 thoughts on “Execution Footage Found in Libya Offers Glimpse of Gaddafi’s Abuses; Could Be Used for Justice

  1. maybe not everything was registred on the videotapes in that times,but surely some traces must exist…that’s very secret case,kept in the dark by secret services,also by spec powers with offices placed abroad…Maybe he could be prisoned or deported,but at last specs found him.Strange operation,all calculated by strange,maybe this last killin’ move they solid spec workers did for provoke revenge on gaddafis.In that time lib land weas on the trigger of solid working specs with office abroad.They all were determinated to break sistem of imazighen.In resultat lands there were’nt at all free.specs wanted destablize system and cause wild and non-controlled depart of profits after long-planned fall.after wrong and not just war old brutal operations by spec solid workers were forgotten and guilty liberated and never found.out of lib land they created a lot of dark interesses.after war situation in lib land became worse.brutal crimes did by rebeliants against “exregime” were never under judge.and specs with offices in few lands far from lib are unfortunatelly untouchabled…will maghrib and mashrk at last free from the trigger of part of west and from strange terror groups?will lib land at last free from all bad influences from abroad?

  2. I don’t know whether it’s just me or if everybody else
    experiencing problems with your blog. It seems like
    some of the written text on your posts are running off the screen.
    Can someone else please provide feedback and let
    me know if this is happening to them as well? This could be a
    problem with my web browser because I’ve had this happen previously.
    Appreciate it

  3. Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the
    video to make your point. You obviously know what youre talking about, why throw away your intelligence on just posting videos to your blog when
    you could be giving us something informative
    to read?

  4. Tariffs against despots are the only thing the US and EU can do to stop these decades of decadence in which we buy cheap products from these countries and our politicians shake their despots murdering hands on TV because, frankly, human rights aren’t at the top of the agenda.

    I suppose this means we have to buy more expensive oil and consumer goods made in less despotic regimes with welfare states, courts, votes and such. And have a few more jobs at home.

    I didn’t watch all the videos linked – the first pictures were bad enough.

    I doubt the UK ambassedor in Tripoli was even asked to report-back at the time or was the best person for the job of doing so.

    1. Valid point. Human rights tend to make the bottom of the list. The problem is everything has become politicized. We need to reevaluate our priorities. Thanks for your insight!

  5. Where exactly is the “execution footage” ?
    There was none shown.

    There is no proof of anything in these films or photographs which were shown except maybe from to hanged individuals.

    In the usa they are hanging, shooting, gassing, electricuting and killing og citizens in many ways almost everyday ad alo they are on a mission with the coalition of the killing all over the middle east.

    You are all discusting killers and piggish primitive murderers and it would be nice to have silence from you for centuries to come and beyond that.
    You will never create peace and you will destroy each other which is good for us who really practice peace and humanity.

    1. It’s important that we speak out wherever we find injustice. Whether it be in Libya or the US. Oppressors are everywhere. It is everyone’s duty to make sure those who are victimized are supported to the fullest extent.

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