Libyan court sentences Gadhafi's son, 8 others to death for 2011 war crimes

Saif al-Islam Gadhafi and 8 others were sentenced to death
(Image credit: Mahmud Turkia/AFP/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, a court in Tripoli, Libya, sentenced Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, former Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, former Libyan intelligence chief Abdallah al-Senousi, and six other figures from deposed, slain dictator Moammar Gadhafi's government to death for war crimes in 2011. Saif al-Islam, Gadhafi's son, was not in court and testified via video link because, BBC News reports, "he is being held by a former rebel group from the town of Zintan that refuses to release him." The dozens of other Gadhafi-era officials on trial were handed sentences ranging from five years to life in prison. They all have the right to appeal their verdicts.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.