Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/551192
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 5 AUGUST 2015 News Tripoli authorities hunting down Saadi Gaddafi's torturers Libya's state prosecutor to investigate apparent torture of Muammar Gaddafi's son as country plunges into further chaos JURGEN BALZAN PRISON guards caught on video torturing the son of former Lib- yan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Saadi Gaddafi, are wanted by Tripoli authorities. State prosecutors in the capi- tal are attempting to identify the guards in the video that appears to have been filmed in the al- Hadba prison in Tripoli. In the video, a blindfolded Saadi Gaddafi – best-known for his lav- ish lifestyle and brief stint as a footballer in Italy's top division – is seen being tortured and tied to a pipe by prison guards. Gaddafi – who in 2000 almost signed for Maltese football club Birkirkara FC – can be heard screaming in pain as he is beaten on his face while being ques- tioned, and later on the soles of his feet as he was tied to a pipe. He is also forced to listen and watch other screaming prisoners being beaten outside the room he is held in. The guards are also shown goading and beating the 42-year- old who was extradited to Libya by Niger last year. In a statement Tripoli's prosecu- tor general said he had launched an investigation to identify the guards and "to take the necessary legal action against them". Human Rights Watch con- demned the video and said it raises serious concerns about the methods used to interrogate al- Saadi Gaddafi and other detain- ees at al-Hadba prison. Saadi Gaddafi was extradited to Libya in March 2014 from Niger, where he fled after the 2011 revo- lution. Born in 1973, Saadi was once thought closest in outlook to his brother Saif al-Islam who was seen as the modernizing force within the regime. Following his stint as a profes- sional footballer he re-emerged as head of the Libyan special forces, which played a leading role in re- pressing the 2011 uprising. Saadi is accused of trying to suppress the uprising against his father and is facing charges over the murder of a football player when he headed the Libyan Foot- ball Federation. The video was posted a week after another of Gaddafi's sons, Saif al-Islam was sentenced to death together with eight former regime officials. The controversial court ruling against Saif al-Islam was passed in absentia since he is held in Zintan, a western region beyond the Tripoli self-declared govern- ment's control. A total of 37 people were on tri- al over war crimes, including the killing of protesters during the 2011 revolution that ended his father's rule. Legal experts and human rights groups dismissed the proceedings' legitimacy with Human Rights Watch and Am- nesty International pointing out that defence lawyers lacked full and timely access to case files and several had been unable to meet clients in private. The UN human rights agency said "we had closely monitored the detention and trial and found that international fair trial stand- ards had failed to be met," citing a failure to establish individual criminal responsibility, lack of access to lawyers, claims of ill- treatment, and trials conducted in absentia. Saif 's captors, the Zintanis, are at war with the Islamist militias Libya Dawn and have refused to hand him over, saying they do not trust the self-declared govern- ment seated in Tripoli. The internationally recognised Libyan parliament and govern- ment based in the east of the country are refusing to respect the sentence and insist that Saif should be handed over to the ICC, which has an active arrest warrant in his name. On Monday, a small group of Libyan nationals gathered out- side the parliament building in Valletta to protest against the "unlawful" ruling. They also protested at the grow- ing chaos in the North African country where two rival govern- ments are vying for control over the country's territory and vast resources, while Islamic State militants have benefitted from the power vacuum and gained a foothold in some areas of the country. With the country's crippled in- frastructure on the verge of col- lapse, residents in Tripoli, Beng- hazi and other major cities are enduring daily 12-hour power cuts, medicine, fuel and food shortages and travel restrictions. In a bid to alleviate the coun- try's growing woes, the European Commission this week agreed to give €6 million in humanitar- ian funding to meet the most urgent needs of the people who have been severely affected by the ongoing conflict, including migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. The new fund will primarily support the delivery of items such as kitchen sets, blankets and mattresses, as well as health and protection. The funds will also help humanitarian organisations better assess the situation, so they can improve their response to needs on the ground. The video shows a blindfolded Saadi Gaddafi being tortured by prison guards in a Tripoli prison Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was sentenced to death by firing squad last week 'Fuel cost should reflect low global oil market price' - PN TIM DIACONO THE Nationalist Party has reiter- ated its call on the government to reduce fuel prices, arguing that these do not ref lect the global market price of oil. Brent crude slipped to below $50 a barrel on Monday due to accelerated production from Opec countries like Saudi Ara- bia and Iraq, and Iran's recent announcement that it will raise production as soon as sanctions linked to its nuclear programme are removed. "Although oil hasn't been this cheap on the market for several years, the Maltese people are yet to benefit from it through a sub- stantial reduction in fuel prices," shadow energy minister Mar- these Portelli said in a statement. "When Brent crude had cost $130 a barrel, unleaded petrol here cost €1.38 per litre while diesel cost €1.31. Now that Brent crude has plummeted to under $50 a barrel, petrol costs €1.35 per litre and diesel costs €1.26. "This confirms that the gov- ernment is blatantly robbing the public [by keeping fuel prices high] and that the recent reduc- tion in gas prices was completely superficial." Brent cost over $100 a barrel in July 2014, but slipped to almost $45 in January this year, before rebounding to $69 in May." However, when contacted by MaltaToday, Portelli said that commodity market experts had been predicting this latest de- cline but had missed their fore- cast by a month. She argued that the government should not have entered a long-term fuel hedging agreement while Brent was on its slippery slope and reiterated her call on the government to publish its fuel hedging contracts. With Brent crude prices under $50 a barrel, petrol in Malta costs €1.35 per litre and diesel €1.26