Editing Muammar Gaddafi (section)

==Libyan civil war and death==
{{main|Libyan civil war (2011)}}
{{Further|2011 military intervention in Libya}}

===Origins and development: February–August 2011===
[[File:Gaddafi Is a Butcher - Libyan Protest Meeting In Dublin.jpg|thumb|left|An anti-Gaddafist placard being displayed by demonstrators in Ireland in 2011]]

Following the start of the [[Arab Spring]] in 2011, Gaddafi spoke out in favour of Tunisian President [[Zine El Abidine Ben Ali]], then threatened by the [[Tunisian Revolution]]. He suggested that Tunisia's people would be satisfied if Ben Ali introduced a ''Jamahiriyah'' system there.{{sfn|St. John|2012|p=278}} Fearing domestic protest, Libya's government implemented preventive measures by reducing [[food prices]], purging the army leadership of potential defectors, and releasing several Islamist prisoners.{{sfn|St. John|2012|pp=282–283}} This proved ineffective, and on 17 February 2011, major protests broke out against Gaddafi's government. Unlike Tunisia or Egypt, Libya was largely religiously homogeneous and had no strong Islamist movement, but there was widespread dissatisfaction with the corruption and entrenched systems of patronage, while unemployment had reached around 30 percent.{{sfnm|1a1=Kawczynski|1y=2011|1p=231|2a1=St. John|2y=2012|2pp=279–281}}

Accusing the rebels of being "drugged" and linked to al-Qaeda, Gaddafi proclaimed that he would die a [[martyr]] rather than leave Libya.{{sfn|Kawczynski|2011|p=242}} As he announced that the rebels would be "hunted down street by street, house by house and wardrobe by wardrobe",{{sfn|Kawczynski|2011|pp=242–243}} the army opened fire on protesters in Benghazi, killing hundreds.{{sfn|St. John|2012|p=283}} Shocked at the government's response, a number of senior politicians resigned or defected to the protesters' side.{{sfnm|1a1=St. John|1y=2012|1p=284|2a1=Vandewalle|2y=2008a|2p=236}} The uprising spread quickly through Libya's less economically developed eastern half.{{sfn|Vandewalle|2008a|p=236}} By February's end, eastern cities such as Benghazi, Misrata, al-Bayda, and Tobruk were controlled by rebels,{{sfn|St. John|2012|p=284}} and the Benghazi-based [[National Transitional Council]] (NTC) formed to represent them.{{sfnm|1a1=St. John|1y=2012|1p=286|2a1=Human Rights Watch|2y=2012|2p=16}}

[[File:Les femmes de Libye déchirées entre le régime et les rebelles (5764877039).jpg|thumb|left|Pro-Gaddafi protests in Tripoli, May 2011]]

In the conflict's early months it appeared that Gaddafi's government—with its greater fire-power—would be victorious.{{sfn|Vandewalle|2008a|p=236}} Both sides disregarded the [[laws of war]], committing human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests, [[torture]], [[Extrajudicial killing|extrajudicial executions]], and revenge attacks.{{sfn|Human Rights Watch|2012|pp=17–18}} On 26 February, the [[United Nations Security Council]] passed [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970|Resolution 1970]], suspending Libya from the [[UN Human Rights Council]], implementing sanctions and calling for an [[International Criminal Court]] (ICC) investigation into the killing of unarmed civilians.{{sfnm|1a1=Sacerdoti|1a2=Acconci|1y=2011|1pp=61–62|2a1=St. John|2y=2012|2p=284|3a1=Human Rights Watch|3y=2012|3p=16}} In March, the Security Council declared a [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973|no-fly zone]] to protect the civilian population from aerial bombardment, calling on foreign nations to enforce it; it also specifically prohibited foreign occupation.{{sfnm|1a1=Vandewalle|1y=2008a|1p=236|2a1=Human Rights Watch|2y=2012|2p=16}} Ignoring this, Qatar sent hundreds of troops to support the dissidents and, along with France and the [[United Arab Emirates]], provided weaponry and military training to the NTC.{{sfn|Human Rights Watch|2012|p=16}} NATO announced that it would enforce the no-fly zone.{{sfnm|1a1=Vandewalle|1y=2008a|1p=236|2a1=St. John|2y=2012|2p=284}} On 30 April a NATO airstrike killed [[Saif al-Arab Gaddafi|Gaddafi's sixth son]] and three of his grandsons in Tripoli.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Simon|last1=Denyer|first2=Leila|last2=Fadel|title=Gaddafi's Youngest Son Killed in NATO Airstrike; Russia Condemns Attack|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/gaddafi-calls-for-cease-fire-as-nato-strikes-tripoli/2011/04/30/AF1jZsNF_story.html|access-date=21 January 2012|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=30 April 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713201116/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/gaddafi-calls-for-cease-fire-as-nato-strikes-tripoli/2011/04/30/AF1jZsNF_story.html |archive-date=13 July 2017}}</ref> This Western military intervention was criticized by various leftist governments, including those that had criticized Gaddafi's response to the protests, because they regarded it as an imperialist attempt to secure control of Libya's resources.{{sfn|Castro|2011|pp=308–309}}

In June, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and his brother-in-law [[Abdullah Senussi]], head of state security, for charges concerning crimes against humanity.{{sfnm|1a1=Kawczynski|1y=2011|1p=257|2a1=St. John|2y=2012|2p=286}} That month, [[Amnesty International]] published their report, finding that Gaddafi's forces were responsible for numerous war crimes but added that a number of allegations of human rights abuses lacked credible evidence. The report added that "much Western media coverage has from the outset presented a very one-sided view of the logic of events, portraying the protest movement as entirely peaceful and repeatedly suggesting that the regime's security forces were unaccountably massacring unarmed demonstrators".<ref name="AmnestyRape">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/amnesty-questions-claim-that-gaddafi-ordered-rape-as-weapon-of-war-2302037.html|title=Amnesty Questions Claim That Gaddafi Ordered Rape as Weapon of War|date=24 June 2011|work=The Independent|location=London|access-date=26 June 2011|first=Patrick|last=Cockburn|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218024655/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/amnesty-questions-claim-that-gaddafi-ordered-rape-as-weapon-of-war-2302037.html|archive-date=18 February 2017}}</ref> In July, over 30 governments recognized the NTC as the legitimate government of Libya; Gaddafi called on his supporters to "Trample on those recognitions, trample on them under your feet&nbsp;... They are worthless".<ref name="INDtncofficialgov">{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/west-prepares-to-hand-rebels-gaddafis-billions-2314576.html | title=West Prepares to Hand Rebels Gaddafi's Billions | work=The Independent | location=London | date=16 July 2011 | access-date=16 July 2011 | first=Justin | last=Vela | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512101059/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/west-prepares-to-hand-rebels-gaddafis-billions-2314576.html | archive-date=12 May 2012 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref> In August, the [[Arab League]] recognized the NTC as "the legitimate representative of the Libyan state".<ref name="taipeitimmes20110826">{{cite web |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2011/08/26/2003511688 |title=Arab League Gives Its Full Backing to Libya's Rebel Council |work=The Taipei Times |date=26 August 2011 |access-date=1 September 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221153/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2011/08/26/2003511688 |archive-date=3 March 2016 }}</ref>

Aided by NATO air cover, the rebel militia pushed westward, defeating loyalist armies and securing control of the centre of the country.{{sfn|St. John|2012|p=285}} Gaining the support of [[Amazigh]] ([[Berberism|Berber]]) communities of the [[Nafusa Mountains]], who had long been persecuted as non-Arabic speakers under Gaddafi, the NTC armies surrounded Gaddafi loyalists in several key areas of western Libya.{{sfn|St. John|2012|p=285}} In August, the rebels seized [[Zliten]] and [[Battle of Tripoli (2011)|Tripoli]], ending the last vestiges of Gaddafist power.{{sfn|St. John|2012|p=286}} It is probable that without the NATO air strikes supporting the rebels, they would not have been able to advance west and Gaddafi's forces would have ultimately retaken control of eastern Libya.{{sfn|Pargeter|2012|p=8}}

=== Capture and killing ===
{{main|Killing of Muammar Gaddafi|International reactions to the killing of Muammar Gaddafi}}
After the [[Battle of Tripoli (2011)|fall of Tripoli]], only a few towns in western Libya such as [[Bani Walid]], [[Sabha, Libya|Sebha]], and [[Sirte]] remained Gaddafist strongholds.{{sfn|St. John|2012|p=286}} Gaddafi was reportedly planning to catch up with his Sebha commander [[Ali Kanna]]'s [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] forces and seek asylum in [[Burkina Faso]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Negotiations over Bani Walid |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/9/6/large-libyan-armoured-convoy-arrives-in-niger |access-date=21 February 2023 |website=www.aljazeera.com |language=en |archive-date=26 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226221447/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/9/6/large-libyan-armoured-convoy-arrives-in-niger |url-status=live }}</ref> Instead, Gaddafi retreated to his hometown of Sirte,{{sfn|Human Rights Watch|2012|p=20}} where he convened a meeting with his son [[Mutassim Gaddafi|Mutassim]] and intelligence chief [[Abdullah Senussi]] and learned that his youngest son [[Khamis Gaddafi|Khamis]] had been killed by a NATO airstrike on 29 August.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |title=Hunted: A first-hand account of Gaddafi's desperate last days |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2012/10/17/hunted-a-first-hand-account-of-gaddafis-desperate-last-days/ |access-date=21 February 2023 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=23 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223233023/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2012/10/17/hunted-a-first-hand-account-of-gaddafis-desperate-last-days/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the weeks that followed, Gaddafi continued to broadcast defiant audio messages through Syria-based [[Arrai TV]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 September 2011 |title=Gaddafi taunts NATO in new broadcast |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20110920-libya-gaddafi-defies-nato-new-broadcast-syria-tv |access-date=21 February 2023 |website=France 24 |language=en |archive-date=21 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221012807/https://www.france24.com/en/20110920-libya-gaddafi-defies-nato-new-broadcast-syria-tv |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=16 September 2011 |title=Gaddafi broadcasts are "sacred right" - TV chief |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-libya-syria-television-idUKTRE78F1IW20110916 |access-date=21 February 2023 |archive-date=21 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221012758/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-libya-syria-television-idUKTRE78F1IW20110916 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|St. John|2012|p=286}} On 10 September, General Massoud Abdel Hafiz announced the formation of the Republic of [[Fezzan]] in Sebha, where Gaddafi would be president for life.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Al-awsat |first=Asharq |title=Middle-east Arab News Opinion |url=https://eng-archive.aawsat.com/theaawsat/news-middle-east/gaddafi-threatened-to-wipe-my-hometown-off-the-map-jailed-libyan-official |access-date=21 February 2023 |website=eng-archive.aawsat.com |date=10 September 2011 |language=UK |archive-date=22 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222230759/https://eng-archive.aawsat.com/theaawsat/news-middle-east/gaddafi-threatened-to-wipe-my-hometown-off-the-map-jailed-libyan-official |url-status=live }}</ref> Sebha fell on 22 September.<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 September 2011 |title=Libya conflict: Anti-Gaddafi fighters take Sabha |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-15029062 |access-date=21 February 2023 |archive-date=21 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221012802/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-15029062 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Surrounding himself with bodyguards and a small entourage,{{sfn|Human Rights Watch|2012|p=20}} including Mutassim, security chief [[Mansour Dhao]], and defense minister [[Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr]], Gaddafi continually changed residences to escape NATO and NTC shelling, devoting his days to prayer and reading the Qur'an.{{sfn|Human Rights Watch|2012|pp=21–22}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fahim |first=Kareem |date=22 October 2011 |title=In His Last Days, Qaddafi Wearied of Fugitive's Life |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/world/africa/in-his-last-days-qaddafi-wearied-of-fugitives-life.html |access-date=21 February 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=2 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002071630/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/world/africa/in-his-last-days-qaddafi-wearied-of-fugitives-life.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":9" /> On 20 October, Gaddafi recorded a farewell audio message for his family, later publicized by [[AlHadath]], and then broke out of Sirte's District 2 in a joint civilian-military convoy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nova |first=Redazione Agenzia |date=21 October 2021 |title=Libya, Gaddafi's latest message: "Tonight I will die a martyr, be proud of me" |url=https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/libya-Gaddafi%27s-last-message-tonight-I-will-die-as-a-martyr-be-proud-of-me/ |access-date=21 February 2023 |website=Agenzia Nova |language=en |archive-date=21 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221012809/https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/libya-Gaddafi%27s-last-message-tonight-I-will-die-as-a-martyr-be-proud-of-me/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Human Rights Watch|2012|p=23}}<ref name="BBC20112">{{cite news |date=22 October 2011 |title=Muammar Gaddafi: How He Died |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15390980 |url-status=live |access-date=22 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202232503/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15390980 |archive-date=2 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ebatamehi |first=Sebastiane |title=Gaddafi's Emotional Farewell Message to His Family Before He was Killed {{!}} The African Exponent. |url=https://www.africanexponent.com/post/9311-last-audio-message-muammar-gaddafis-sent-to-his-family-surfaces |access-date=21 February 2023 |website=The African Exponent |language=en |archive-date=21 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221012808/https://www.africanexponent.com/post/9311-last-audio-message-muammar-gaddafis-sent-to-his-family-surfaces |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Akhalbey |first=Francis |date=22 October 2018 |title=Listen to Gaddafi's last audio recording addressed to his family hours before he was killed |url=https://face2faceafrica.com/article/listen-to-gaddafis-last-audio-recording-addressed-to-his-family-hours-before-he-was-killed |access-date=21 February 2023 |website=Face2Face Africa |language=en |archive-date=21 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221012759/https://face2faceafrica.com/article/listen-to-gaddafis-last-audio-recording-addressed-to-his-family-hours-before-he-was-killed |url-status=live }}</ref> According to Dhao, it was a "suicide mission" as Gaddafi wanted to die in the Jarref Valley, close to where he was born.<ref>{{Cite news |date=30 October 2011 |title=Gaddafi: 'He died an angry and disappointed man' |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-15516678 |access-date=21 February 2023 |archive-date=21 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221012758/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-15516678 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hayden |first=Erik |date=31 October 2011 |title=Qaddafi's Frantic Last Days Get Reexamined |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/10/qaddafis-frantic-last-days-get-reexamined/336120/ |access-date=21 February 2023 |website=The Atlantic |language=en |archive-date=21 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221012758/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/10/qaddafis-frantic-last-days-get-reexamined/336120/ |url-status=live }}</ref> At around 08:30, NATO bombers attacked, destroying at least 14 vehicles and killing at least 53 people.<ref name="BBC20112" />{{sfn|Human Rights Watch|2012|pp=24–25}} The convoy scattered, and Gaddafi and those closest to him fled to a nearby villa, which was shelled by rebel militia from Misrata. Fleeing to a construction site, Gaddafi and his inner cohort hid inside drainage pipes while his bodyguards battled the rebels; in the conflict, Gaddafi suffered head injuries from a grenade blast while Jabr was killed.<ref name="BBC20112" />{{sfn|Human Rights Watch|2012|pp=26–27}}
The Misrata militia took Gaddafi prisoner, causing serious injuries as they tried to apprehend him; the events were filmed on a mobile phone. A video appears to picture Gaddafi being poked or stabbed in the anus "with some kind of stick or knife"<ref>{{cite news |title=GlobalPost: Qaddafi Apparently Sodomized After Capture |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/globalpost-qaddafi-apparently-sodomized-after-capture/ |publisher=CBS |date=24 October 2011 |access-date=13 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170209160624/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/globalpost-qaddafi-apparently-sodomized-after-capture/ |archive-date=9 February 2017 |url-status=live  }}</ref> or possibly a bayonet.<ref name="Irish Times">{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/gadafy-s-killers-will-be-tried-claims-ntc-1.632918|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|first=Martin|last=Chulov|title=Gadafy's Killers Will Be Tried, Claims NTC|date=28 October 2011|access-date=13 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705045035/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/gadafy-s-killers-will-be-tried-claims-ntc-1.632918|archive-date=5 July 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://time.com/6280869/vladimir-putin-russia-assassination/|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|title=Why Putin Is Right to Fear for His Life|author=Sebag-Montefiore, Simon|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=18 May 2023|access-date=20 May 2023|archive-date=18 May 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230518210356/https://time.com/6280869/vladimir-putin-russia-assassination/}}</ref> Pulled onto the front of a pick-up truck, he fell off as it drove away. His semi-naked body was then placed into an ambulance and taken to [[Misrata]]; upon arrival, he was found to be dead.{{sfn|Human Rights Watch|2012|pp=28–29}} Official NTC accounts claimed that Gaddafi was caught in a crossfire and died from bullet wounds. Other eye-witness accounts claimed that rebels had fatally shot Gaddafi in the stomach.<ref name="BBC20112"/>

That afternoon, NTC Prime Minister [[Mahmoud Jibril]] publicly revealed the news of Gaddafi's death.<ref name="BBC20112"/> His corpse was placed in the freezer of a local market alongside the corpses of Yunis Jabr and Mutassim; the bodies were publicly displayed for four days, with Libyans from all over the country coming to view them.<ref>{{cite news|title=Report: Libyan Militias Executed Dozens, Possibly Including Gadhafi|url=http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/17/report-libyan-militias-executed-dozens-possibly-including-gadhafi/|publisher=CNN|access-date=18 October 2012|date=17 October 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126085743/http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/17/report-libyan-militias-executed-dozens-possibly-including-gadhafi/|archive-date=26 January 2013}}</ref> Footage of Gaddafi's death was broadcast extensively across media networks internationally.{{sfn|Karniel|Lavie-Dinur|Azran|2015|pp=171, 176}} In response to international calls, on 24 October Jibril announced that a commission would investigate Gaddafi's death.{{sfn|Human Rights Watch|2012|p=44}} On 25 October, the NTC announced that Gaddafi had been buried at an unidentified location in the desert.<ref>{{cite news |title=Muammar Gaddafi 'Buried in Desert Grave at Dawn' |date=21 October 2011 |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15441867 |access-date=3 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101155135/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15441867 |archive-date=1 November 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>