Saif Gaddafi recorded ordering the deaths of Libyan dissidents over the phone

By
Lyle Brennan

10:22 EST, 11 May 2012

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11:10 EST, 11 May 2012

The son of Colonel Gaddafi gave direct orders for opponents of the Libyan regime to be killed, telephone wire taps have revealed.

More than 12,000 tapes of conversations between the toppled dictator’s inner circle were made between February and June last year, as Gaddafi’s long-standing reign began to collapse.

In one of them, due to be broadcast by Al Jazeera in a series starting tonight, Saif Gaddafi can be heard telling a senior aide he will ‘send people to liquidate’ rebel fighters in the eastern port city of Tobruk.

Tyrant's heir: Saif Gaddafi sits in a plane in Zintan, Libya, after being captured in November by some of the fighters who overthrew his father

Tyrant’s heir: Saif Gaddafi sits in a plane in Zintan, Libya, after being captured in November by some of the fighters who overthrew his father

Tayeb El Safi warns the dictator’s 39-year-old son – whose capture was a pivotal moment in the Libyan uprising – about ‘traitors’ at the Abdel Nasser airbase, which fell into the hands of rebel forces in mid-February last year.

Saif, who was educated at the London School of Economics, tells El Safi: ‘If you also have people there, send them to the base to kill them.’

The recordings could prove important as Libya and the International Criminal Court tussle over which of them should try Saif Gaddafi and the slain dictator’s former intelligence chief for war crimes.

Toppled: Celebrations in Tripoli after Saif Gaddafi was captured in August. The newly uncovered tapes show how prominent a role he played in the crackdown on rebels

Toppled: Celebrations in Tripoli after Saif Gaddafi was captured in August. The newly uncovered tapes show how prominent a role he played in the crackdown on rebels

Lawyers in the Hague believe the North African nation’s legal system is still too unstable to give the two men a proper trial. If found guilty in Libya, they will face the death penalty.

Luis Moreno Ocampo, chief prosecutor of the ICC, called the tapes ‘fascinating’ and said they were evidence that Saif played a prominent role in the ruthless crackdown on rebels.

He said: ‘Saif was the boss, he was giving direct orders to kill, to liquidate them. This is new for me, this type of evidence… It is important to show the direct involvement of these people.’

Mr Ocampo wants Al Jazeera to submit the recordings, obtained by journalist Hoda Hamid, for the consideration of prosecutors in Libya.

Oppressor: Saif, pictured during a typically bellicose speech to Libyan youths, was educated in London and now faces a war crimes tribunal

Oppressor: Saif, pictured during a typically bellicose speech to Libyan youths, was educated in London and now faces a war crimes tribunal

Hear Saif Gaddafi’s ‘kill order’

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and so??? These rebels killed government soldiers for goodness sake! Doesn’t provide anything…..

Exactly as Obama / Cameron etc. do!

A good chum of New Labour…

Evil monster. Hope they pass death sentence to him and is evil supporters.

This destroys Saif’s claims that he had no power or ability to give orders in Libya. These tapes prove that he is a war criminal.- Randall, California, 11/05/2012 17:31 If only your reasoning were correct – If you were correct, we could arrest Tony Blair for war crimes right now on the same basis.

Why dont they stop all this rubbish talk about trials. Its winners privelage, you get to torture and murder the losers. Their was only a short few years in the early 20th century, where that privelage was taken away. If anyone here can actually explain to me, why you are in the right to execute the loser as war criminals, when they made up the legitimate government of the country, and lost because they killed less people than the winners. I would be really interested in hearing that explanation. While they are at it, can they also explain to me, why the rape torture and murder, of gaddafis all female guard is not a war crime. Oh of course, because it was those awfully nice rebels that did it.

They should chop off the rest of his fingers, then hang him!

Why is the ICC not seeking to prosecute anti-Gadaffi Muslims for the terrible atrocities and mass genocide of blacks in Libya? Also why are they not being prosecuted for atrocities against pro-Gadaffi Muslims? These horrifying crimes against humanity have been reported by the Daily Mail. Obviously, the ICC is a highly political organization that takes sides.

This is a proof that all totalitarian regimes should be brought to the justice and save the general public.

Whats the difference between sending government soldiers to liquidate armed people and sending NATO planes to liquidate armed soldiers? Basically Saifs intent was no different to that of Sarko, Cameron and Obama. Saif however had a right to defend his government whereas Sarko, Cameron and Obama simply wanted regime change and used NATO to achieve it. – and look at Libya now – a mess of people killing each other.

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