Libyan court sentences Gaddafi's son to death
A Libyan court has sentenced Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi, in connection with a deadly crackdown on the 2011 revolt against his father's rule.
On Tuesday, Saif was given the death penalty for his involvement in quelling the 2011 revolution that led to his father's ouster.
Saif did not show up in the courtroom because he is being held by a militia group in the southwestern Zintan town.
The militia holding Saif al-Islam in the hill town of Zintan is aligned with Libya's internationally recognized government based in the remote eastern city of Tobruk.
Unknown fate
Saif al-Islam, who is the eldest of Gaddafi's nine children, has been held in Zintan since his capture in November 2011.
However, due to internal conflict, it is not clear if Saif al-Islam would be executed.
The trial, which opened in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, in April last year, has been slammed by international rights groups due to flaws in the trial process.
Human Rights Watch's Joe Stork said the trial was "plagued by persistent, credible allegations of fair trial breaches that warrant independent and impartial judicial review".
Amnesty International has described the ruling as "appalling."
"Instead of helping to establish the truth and ensuring accountability for serious violations during the 2011 armed conflict, this trial exposes the weakness of a criminal justice system which is hanging on by a thread in a war-torn country with no central authority," Amnesty's Philip Luther said.
The UN announced it was "disturbed" by the death sentence.
Mass trial
About thirty other defendants facing various charges including murder and complicity in rape during the 2011 toppling of Gaddafi appeared in court on Tuesday.
Former intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi and Gaddafi's last prime minister Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmudi were among the defendants.
The court also sentenced Senussi and Mahmudi to death and eight other defendants to life in prison, seven to 12 years, four to 10, three to six and one to five years.
Four of the defendants won acquittal and one was sent to a psychiatric hospital.
Libya has been torn apart by internal conflict between rival governments in Tripoli and Tobruk and the powerful militias battling one another across the country for control over key cities and resources.
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