News

‘These are Qadhafi’s final moments’

To Mondoweiss Readers: The Feb17 Team invites and urges you to visit Feb17.info  and follow us on twitter @feb17libya. We want to keep the worlds eyes on Libya! If we look away, even for a second, Gaddafi will get what he wants. We say enough to repressive, violent regimes. We say enough to genocide in the world. Free Libya! We appreciate your support. Feb17 Team

And an important video from Libya:


Here is the latest on Libya on Twitter:

 

and more news from Libya:

The Massacres/The Protests/Eyewitness Accounts
Dozens of bodies reported on Tripoli’s streets; Gadhafi said barricaded in his compound
Former Arab League diplomat reports Gadhafi and followers are confined to two barracks in Tripoli; protesters are reportedly hunkering down after warnings by government loyalists that anyone in streets will be shot.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/dozens-of-bodies-reported-on-tripoli-s-streets-gadhafi-said-barricaded-in-his-compound-1.344996?localLinksEnabled=false

Fresh violence rages in Libya
Protesters say security forces using warplanes and live fire ‘massacred’ them, as UN warns of possible ‘war crimes’.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/201122261251456133.html

Khamis Gaddafi Recruits Mercenaries to Shoot Protestors
Khamis Gaddafi, a son of Libya ruler Moammar Gaddafi, recruited French-speaking Sub-Saharan African mercenaries to shoot live rounds at pro-democracy protestors, reported Al Arabiya, citing sources in the city of Benghazi.
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/114681/20110221/khamis-gaddafi-mercenaries-chad-benghazi.htm#ixzz1Ee5rbfHB

More than 600 reported dead as violent unrest sweeps Libya
Two Libya fighter pilots defect to Malta, telling authorities they had been ordered to bomb protesters; according to Human Rights Watch, at least 250 of those died on Monday violence spread from Benghazi to Tripoli.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/more-than-600-reported-dead-as-violent-unrest-sweeps-libya-1.344829?localLinksEnabled=false

Report: Libyan protesters fired on
Security forces using fighter jets launch operations against anti-Gaddafi march in Tripoli.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/africa/2011/02/201122116042447579.html

BREAKING: Eye witness to Al Jazeera says F16 fighter jets sighted
An eyewitness on Al Jazeera’s Arabic channel has just reported that F16 fighter jets have been spotted over Tripoli, and not Libya’s own aircraft, shooting at people. (Libya’s Air Force does not have any F16 aircraft)
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=1509

Libya warplanes bombing Tripoli-resident
LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Libyan warplanes were bombing indiscriminately across Tripoli on Monday, a resident of the Libyan capital told al Jazeera television in a live broadcast.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libya-warplanes-bombing-tripoli-resident


Lybia Revolution ‘Massacre unfolding in Libyan capital

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay22to4YagY&feature=player_embedded

Tripoli clashes leave 160 dead – Arabiya TV
CAIRO, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Clashes in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Monday have left 160 people dead, Arabiya television quoted eyewitnesses as saying. The Arab satellite channel gave the number in a newsflash, without providing further details.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/tripoli-clashes-leave-160-dead-arabiya-tv

Citizens of Shahhat witness extremely heavy gunfire from Foreign Mercenaries
The Libyan soldiers of Shahhat Battalion sided with the people in the fight against foreign mercenaries.  It is believed that many of them were held captive for refusing to shoot at protesters.
http://feb17.info/media/fierce-clashes-in-shahhat-between-mercenaries-and-shahhat-battalion/

BREAKING: GRAPHIC video of victims in Benghazi
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=1474

Young Martyr in Darna (Graphic) (Feb. 17)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL_kk58cOfI&feature=player_embedded

http://feb17.info/media/young-martyr-in-darna-feb-17/

BREAKING IMAGES FROM THE MASSACRE EXTREMELY GRAPHIC VIEWER DISCRETION HIGHLY ADVISED
These horrific, photos just in from Mohammed Nabbous. He is streaming Live here: Libya LIVE feed  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFNmlGYmaeA
http://feb17.info/media/breaking-images-from-the-massacre-graphic/


Protesters in Tripoli yesterday, shocked at seeing burning Doctors’ Surgery
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=1559

Wounded man from Shahhat wants the World to know what happened… (Translation provided below)
http://feb17.info/media/wounded-man-from-shahhat-wants-the-world-to-know-what-happened/

Murdered Civilians continue to pour into Tripoli hospital
Graphic:  links to 3 of the numerous martyrs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpcv2Y2h9AA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9y6obGeLz8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP-XKBsVQD8


GRAPHIC: Footage of injured protester in Tripoli
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=1597

Doctors in Tripoli hospital tend to the wounded (Graphic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeKri_7c8yE&feature=player_embedded

http://feb17.info/media/doctors-in-tripoli-hospital-tend-to-wounded-citizens/

Libyan Martyrs: Smile in Peace (Warning: Graphic)
Doctors point to the peaceful smiles on the martyrs of God.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTWsGwoCTHA&feature=player_embedded
http://feb17.info/media/libyan-martyrs-smile-in-peace/

More video from Libya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZniZqxJdLzw&feature=player_embedded
http://www.arabawy.org/2011/02/21/libya-3/


Photo Gallery From Benghazi, Libya
http://www.aljazeera.net/PhotoGallery/Aspx/Show.aspx?album=G_1373#

One of the most graphic photos out of Libya (EXTREMELY GRAPHIC)
http://feb17.info/media/one-of-the-most-graphic-photos-out-of-libya-extremely-graphic/


The Massacre in Libya on the hands of Gadaffi and his goons
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jdnWY1-VLNQ


Compilation of Hospital Footage: (Graphic)
This is a compilation of the hospital footage of injured, brave protectors of the people and the hard-working doctors trying to save their lives.
http://feb17.info/videos/compilation-of-hospital-footage/

Foreign Mercenaries shown Patrolling the streets of Tripoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2bDtQV_9YA&feature=player_embedded

http://feb17.info/media/foreign-mercenaries-shown-patrolling-and-stationed-in-the-streets-of-tripoli/

Photo of mercenaries in Libya
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=1491

BREAKING Footage: AsSahiliya area in Tripoli overwhelmed with mercenaries
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=1582

Libya protests spread and intensify
Security forces open fire on anti-government demonstrators in Tripoli, as protests escalate across the country.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/africa/2011/02/2011221133557377576.html

New footage of protesters from Souq Al Jummah in Tripoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYUOFpxJl5Y&feature=player_embedded
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=1601

INTERVIEW: Women In Tripoli Reports Kidnapping, “LIBYA IS UNITED”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npOw-F4Vagk&feature=player_embedded

http://feb17.info/media/interview-women-in-tripoli-reports-kidnapping-libya-is-united/


Muammar Poster Burned In Tripoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TArnEZ9yFAk&feature=player_embedded

Benghazi raises Libya’s Independence flag!
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=1592


Letter to the world … last contact 2:45 EST
I live in Ben Ashour (Tripoli), minutes ago my neighborhood was under severe aircraft attacks by the mercenaries (NOT LIBYANS). In fact, 60 brave Libyans from the army were executed because they refused to kill their own brothers, going on totally peaceful- unarmed demonstrations). I hear the nonstop gun machines all round the area of ben ashour. We are… Read the rest of the story.
http://feb17.info/media/letter-to-the-world-last-contact-245-est/

Witness: “People who are in the streets are getting killed”
Listen! Al Jazeera uploaded this recording to their live blog, it is a call from a woman in Tripoli describing the current situation.
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=1494

Tripoli Men Still Protest in the Face of Death
Chants in solidarity with Benghazi… May Allah protect and give victory to all of Libya soon InshaAllah.
http://feb17.info/videos/tripoli-men-still-protest-in-the-face-of-death/

How Many Martyrs?
Our thoughts and prayers are with the heroes and heroines and martyrs of Libya, and with our brave correspondent in Tripoli, now under fire. Communication is on and off, mainly off. Here is her most recent report. Since she sent it the phone lines have been cut entirely and the city’s electricity is also disconnected.
http://pulsemedia.org/2011/02/21/how-many-martyrs/

Libya protests: ‘Now we’ve seen the blood our fears have gone’
Mercenary attacks fail to deter anti-Gaddafi protests as people tell of bloodshed despite the news blackout
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/21/libya-protests-blood-fears-gone

Humanitarian Crisis
Libya allows Egypt military planes to land – agency
CAIRO, Feb 22 (Reuters) – Libya has allowed two Egyptian military aircraft to land in Libya to evacuate Egyptian workers, Egypt’s foreign minister was quoted as saying by the state news agency on Tuesday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libya-allows-egypt-military-planes-to-land-agency

Egypt gears up to evacuate citizens
Army sets up field hospitals on Libyan border to receive returning Egyptians.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/02/2011221222342232993.html

France sending 3 army evacuation planes to Libya
PARIS, Feb 22 (Reuters) – France is sending three military planes to Tripoli to evacuate French nationals from Libya, the government said on Tuesday.  The planes will leave later on Tuesday for Libya, where a revolt against Muammar Gaddafi’s authoritarian rule has killed at least 233 people, according to Human Rights Watch.  Some 750 French people live in the North African country, and Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said France’s ambassador there would help them reach the airport safely.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/france-sending-3-army-evacuation-planes-to-libya

Pathetic PA has to ask for permission from Israel: PNA requests Israeli permission to evacuate Palestinians in Libya
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Tuesday requested Israel to allow the evacuation of Palestinians in Libya to the West Bank, an official said.  Many of the Palestinians trapped in Libya are refugees who don’ t hold Palestinian identity cards enabling them to return home.  The Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the PNA put an emergency plan to start transferring the Palestinians from Libya if Israel accepted the request.
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90855/7296530.html

Turkish plane refused permission to land in Libya – report
Istanbul – A plane chartered by Turkey’s Foreign Ministry to evacuate Turkish citizens from Libya was refused permission to land in Benghazi on Monday morning and returned to Istanbul empty, the semi-official Anatolia Agency reported. Due to the ongoing unrest and violence in Libya, the Turkish government has begun efforts to evacuate thousands of the nearly 25,000 Turkish citizens who live in the country.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1620812.php/Turkish-plane-refused-permission-to-land-in-Libya-report


Egyptians, Tunisians support Libya with medical aid
The trucks move to the Libya border. A group of Egyptians work fast to unload the medical supplies that are then passed over to the Libyan side of the border. It is a small part of the effort a group of Egyptians are giving to the Libyan anti-government protesters, who in recent days have been the target of mass killing by their government.
http://bikyamasr.com/wordpress/?p=27988


Libya: Benghazi airport runways destroyed

Egypt’s foreign minister says flights cannot land in Benghazi airport . Egyptian military reinforces border with Libya.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4032263,00.html

BREAKING: The Egyptian Army announces that Libyan-Egyptian borders are open fully!
Just now, the Egyptian army has announced that the Libyan-Egyptian borders are open fully! We hope that this will now allow for journalists and hospital supplies to filter through and help our Libyan brothers and sisters!
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=1595

Egypt army opens hospitals as Libyans quit border
CAIRO, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Libyan guards have withdrawn from their side of the border with Egypt after anti-government protests, Egypt’s army said on its Facebook page on Monday, adding it had set up two field hospitals on the frontier.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/egypt-army-opens-hospitals-as-libyans-quit-border


Egypt army opens camps, hospitals on Libya border

CAIRO, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Egypt’s army has set up two field hospitals and also camps to receive Egyptians on the border with Libya, the army said on a website on Monday, after increasingly bloody battles between Libyan security forces and protests. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was under increasing pressure to hang on to power on Monday when anti-government protests against his 41-year rule struck the capital Tripoli after days of violence in the east.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/egypt-army-opens-camps-hospitals-on-libya-border

70 rights groups call on UN to condemn Tripoli
Rights groups question international response to violent situation, demand that Libya be stripped of membership to Human Rights Council.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=209294

Emigrants from Libya leave “with only their clothes”
Al Jazeera’s Nazanine Moshiri reports from the Tunisian side of the border with Libya, where those leaving the upheaval are having their possessions confiscated. It remains too dangerous for Al Jazeera to enter Libya, Moshiri has reported, and our reporters are waiting for visas and permission to film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWHZa_tZmi0&feature=youtube_gdata

Developments
Amnesty International: Security Council and Arab League must act decisively on Libyan crimes today
Amnesty International calls on the organizations to launch a mission to Libya to investigate events that have left hundreds of protesters dead.  Amnesty International has today called on the UN Security Council and the Arab League to launch an immediate mission to Libya to investigate events that have left hundreds of protesters dead. The call for the investigation, which could lead to prosecutions at the International Criminal Court (ICC), comes as both the UN Security Council and the Arab League meet today for special sessions to discuss the spiralling violence in the country.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/security-council-and-arab-league-must-act-decisively-libyan-crimes-today-2011-02-22

Libya: Commanders Should Face Justice for Killings
(New York) – Witnesses in Tripoli have described Libyan forces firing “randomly” at protesters in the capital on February 22 and 21, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today. While Human Rights Watch is unable to verify these reports, sources from two hospitals in Tripoli said at least 62 bodies, victims of clashes, had been brought into their morgues since February 20. On February 22, one man told Human Rights Watch by Skype that he could see men driving around shooting at passers-by in the Ben Ashour neighbourhood of Tripoli.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/02/22/libya-commanders-should-face-justice-killings

UN council to discuss Libya
An extraordinary meeting of the Arab League will also take place on Tuesday as leaders express alarm over crackdown.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/02/2011221214022682385.html

Gaddafi gives 15-second “speech” on state TV
Muammar Gaddafi, Libya’s leader of 42 years, appeared briefly under an umbrella to tell viewers that he had planned on sleeping among protesters in Tripoli, the capital, but couldn’t because of the rain. State television then went on to broadcast video of an orchestra and singers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weY5Lht2UAI&feature=youtube_gdata

Libyan FM official phones Al Jazeera
Khaled Al Ga’aeem, under-secretary of Libya’s foreign ministry, phoned Al Jazeera on Monday night. This is a translation of part of the subsequent conversation, which aired live.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=607btsXpX3E&feature=youtube_gdata

Moammar Gadhafi’s Bizarre State TV Appearance … With An Umbrella (VIDEO)
Libyan State TV stated several times Monday evening that a statement from the nation’s leader Moammar Gadhafi was “imminent.” Word spread quickly, through the streets in Libya and also across the world through Twitter. When he finally began speaking, it was over in a blink. His “speech” was less than 20 seconds long to dispel rumors that he had fled Libya. Most bizarre of all was the setting. Gadhafi is holding an umbrella. He says he had been talking to young people at the Green Square in Tripoli (the capital) but stepped away because he wanted to speak to the Libyan nation and make it clear he was in Tripoli. He adds that he’s not in Venezuela as the “dogs” (foreign media) have said.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/21/moammar-gadhafi-state-tv-video_n_826327.html


Libyan leader appears on state TV
Libya’s leader, Muammar Gaddafi, makes a brief appearance on state television in the capital, Tripoli, and dismisses “malicious rumours” that he has fled the country.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-12533069


Libyan protesters occupy several cities, launch counter-attacks on police, military
CAIRO (AFP) – Protesters Monday overran several Libyan cities and regime stalwarts began defecting as the pillars of Moamer Kadhafi’s hardline rule were targeted in Tripoli amid reports he had fled the country.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/21/libyan-protesters-occupying-several-cities/

Egypt army: Libya border under control of ‘people’s committees’
It was unclear whether forces replacing border guards were members of opposition, or loyal to Gadhafi.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/egypt-army-libya-border-under-control-of-people-s-committees-1.344861?localLinksEnabled=false

Egypt army says Libyan security left border
CAIRO, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Egypt’s army said on Monday that Libyan border guards had withdrawn from their side of the border between the two North African states, according to a posting on the army’s Facebook page. “Members of the Libyan border guard withdrew from (the Libyan side of the border) and it is currently in the control of people’s committees,” the statement said, without making clear whether the groups now in control of the border were loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.  “They are the ones that control entry and exit to Libya,” it said.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/egypts-army-says-libyan-guards-withdraw-from-border-with-egypt


BBC: Gaddafi was still in Libya earlier
The BBC added this to their live blog: 1859: The BBC has learnt that Col Gaddafi was in Libya when he had his phone conversation with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon earlier.
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=1503

Venezuela denies giving refuge to Gadhafi amid Libya unrest
Britain’s foreign secretary said earlier that he had ‘seen information suggesting’ that the Libyan leader was on his way to the South American country.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/venezuela-denies-giving-refuge-to-gadhafi-amid-libya-unrest-1.344818?localLinksEnabled=false

Libya’s Kadhafi under siege as cities overrun
TRIPOLI – Protesters on Monday overran several Libyan cities and Tripoli was rocked by violence some residents said was a “massacre,” as the pillars of Moamer Kadhafi’s hardline four-decade rule began to crumble.  A suggestion in Brussels by British Foreign Secretary William Hague that Kadhafi may have left the country for Venezuela was swiftly denied by Caracas, home to the embattled Libyan leader’s firebrand ally President Hugo Chavez. Tripoli also denied it, with Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kayem telling state television: “The leader is in Libya, as are all the government officials.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/21/libyas-kadhafi-under-siege-as-cities-overrun/

US orders personnel out of Libya
WASHINGTON – The United States on Monday ordered all non-essential staff to leave Libya and warned US nationals to avoid travel to the north African country as anti-government protests raged. “The Department of State has ordered all embassy family members and non-emergency personnel to depart Libya,” a statement said. “US citizens outside of Libya are urged to defer all travel to Libya
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/21/us-orders-personnel-out-of-libya/

Top Muslim cleric calls on soldiers to kill Gaddafi
Prominent Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi called on Libyan soldiers to shoot leader Muammar Gaddafi dead, issuing a fatwa saying any soldier with the ability should step up “to rid Libya of” the 41-year leader.  “Whoever in the Libyan army is able to shoot a bullet at Mr Kadhafi should do so,” Qaradawi said on Al-Jazeera television.  The Egyptian-born cleric urged Libyan soldiers “not to obey orders to strike at your own people,” and called on Libyan diplomats across the world to denounce and distance themselves from Gaddafi’s regime.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/22/top-muslim-cleric-calls-on-soldiers-to-kill-gaddafi/

Defections
Libyan diplomats defect en masse
Envoys at key embassies across the world disown Gaddafi’s regime in protest over violent crackdown against protesters.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/201122275739377867.html

Libyan pilots and diplomats defect
Group of army officers have also issued a statement urging fellow soldiers to “join the people” and help remove Gaddafi.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/2011221222542234651.html

LIBYA: Colonels defected to Malta rather than bomb protesters
The pilots of two Libyan military jets that landed in Malta on Monday are “senior colonels” who were ordered to bomb protesters, Al Jazeera satellite network reports. The colonels say they refused to bomb protesters demonstrating against Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi and instead defected to Malta, according to Al Jazeera reporter Karl Stagno-Novarra in Malta.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/02/libya-colonels-defected-to-malta-rather-than-bomb-protesters.html

BREAKING: High resolution photos of Libyan fighter jets landing in Malta airport
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=1605

Gaddafi’s cousin flees to Cairo
Ahmed Kadaf al-Dam, cousin of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, fled the Libyan capital of Tripoli on Monday and arrived in Cairo aboard a private jet together with five others. Upon his arrival, he declined to comment on the recent developments in Libya. Born in Egypt in 1952 to a Libyan father and an Egyptian mother, Kadaf al-Dam was responsible for coordinating security cooperation between Libya and Egypt. He was considered part of the senior security officials in the Libyan regime.
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/gaddafis-cousin-flees-cairo

Libya’s US ambassador resigns from ‘dictatorship’
WASHINGTON, Feb 22 (Reuters) – Libya’s ambassador to the United States on Tuesday said he no longer represents his country’s “dictatorship regime” and called on Muammar Gaddafi to depart. “I resign from serving the current dictatorship regime. But I will never resign from serving our people until their voices reach the whole world, until their goals are achieved,” Ambassador Ali Aujali said in an interview on ABC television’s “Good Morning America.” “I am calling for him to go and leave our people alone.”
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyas-ambassador-to-us-calls-on-gaddafi-to-go-and-leave-our

The Lede: Video of Libyan Diplomats Denouncing Qaddafi
Libyan diplomats in New York denounced Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi for his bloody response to protests in Libya and called on him to resign.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=f965b66c25c43a9a7cd0b075f8285e03

Libyan UN deputy ambassador speaks to AJE
Libya’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Ibrahim Dabbashi, spoke to Al Jazeera. Dabbashi distanced himself from the regime of embattled president Muammar Gaddafi, saying he is “with the people”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_lyQbYlIH0&feature=youtube_gdata

Gaddafi commits genocide: Libyan envoy
The Libyan deputy ambassador to the United Nations has called on the country’s ruler, Muammar Gaddafi, to step down and face trial over “war crimes and genocide.”
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/166412.html

Libyan U.N mission declares allegiance to people
UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 21 (Reuters) – The staff of Libya’s mission to the United Nations declared allegiance to the people of Libya, instead of to its government led by Muammar Gaddafi, a mission spokesman said on Monday. “The members of the Libyan mission are representing only the Libyan people and not anyone else,” the spokesman, Dia al-Hotmani, said by telephone.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/staff-of-libyan-un-mission-say-they-represent-only-people-of-l

Growing number of Libya officials join rebellion against Gadhafi
Justice minister, mission to UN, four other diplomats and two army officers declare allegiance to demonstrators over the government.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/growing-number-of-libya-officials-join-rebellion-against-gadhafi-1.344859?localLinksEnabled=false

Moammar Gadhafi: Facts About Libya’s Leader (PHOTOS)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/21/moammar-gadhafi-libya-protests_n_826168.html

Condemnations
QATAR Issues First Statement Condemning Libya from the Arab World
Doha – The State of Qatar has been following up with great concern the ongoing events in the Libyan Jamahiriya, particularly reports about the use of warplanes and firearms against civilians by the Libyan authorities, an official source at the Foreign Ministry said in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA).
http://feb17.info/media/qatar-issues-first-statement-condemning-libya-from-the-arab-world/

Ban Ki-moon “outraged”
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke to Col Gaddafi earlier today. In a statement to the BBC, his office now says Mr Ban is “outraged” at reports of aircraft firing on civilians in Libya. Calling for an immediate end to the violence, the statement adds: “Such attacks against civilians, if confirmed, would constitute a serious violation of international humanitarian law and would be condemned by the secretary-general in the strongest terms.”
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=1570

UN chief calls Gadhafi to demand immediate end to violence in Libya
In extensive telephone conversation, Ban urges Libya leader to respect basic freedoms and human rights, expressing deep concern for the escalating bloodshed.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/un-chief-calls-gadhafi-to-demand-immediate-end-to-violence-in-libya-1.344825?localLinksEnabled=false


Al-Manar TV, “Hezbollah Statement on the “Crimes Committed by the Gaddafi Regime” in Libya”

“Hezbollah firmly condemns crimes committed by the Gaddafi regime against the oppressed Libyan people. We also offer our sincere condolences to the families of those who were unjustly killed, just for demanding their rights. Hezbollah expresses support to the revolutionists in Libya and we pray that they will triumph over this arrogant tyrant,” the statement added.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/hezbollah210211.html

Hamas condemns Libyan regime for committing massacres against protesters
The Hamas Movement on Monday strongly denounced the Libyan regime for committing massacres against protesters using warplanes and heavy artillery.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6

Libya must stop bloodshed now, Clinton says
WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) – The United States told Libya on Monday to stop shedding the blood of protesters seeking to end Muammar Gaddafi’s 41-year rule and announced plans to evacuate some U.S. diplomats from the oil-exporting nation.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libya-must-stop-bloodshed-now-clinton-says

Deputy Ambassador: It is a real genocide
The BBC report on their live stream: 1933: More details on the call by Libya’s diplomats at the United Nations for international intervention to end the crisis. The deputy ambassador, Ibrahim Omar Al Dabashi, told BBC World that Col Gaddafi’s government was carrying out a genocide. “It is a real genocide whether it is in the eastern cities of Libya or whether what is going now in Tripoli,” he said. “The information that we are receiving from the people in Tripoli is the regime is killing whoever goes out to the streets… He has his mercenaries everywhere in the streets and whenever any demonstrator appears they just kill them. At least they shoot them, whether they kill them or not, but they are shooting them.” Watch it here.
http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=1514

Those willing to give Gadaffi a chance
US weighs ‘appropriate’ response on Libya: official
WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama is “considering all appropriate actions” on Libya, an administration official said Monday, urging Moamer Kadhafi’s regime not to use force against raging protests.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/21/us-weighs-appropriate-response-on-libya-official/

Obama seeking reform in Libya, official says
Washington (CNN) — U.S. authorities were keeping a close watch on Libya’s rapidly unfolding political crisis Monday, in part to see what possibilities might exist for meaningful reform, a senior Obama administration official said.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/21/libya.us.reaction/

Italy and Czech Republic back Gaddafi despite bloodbath
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – The EU is struggling to speak with one voice following a massive loss of life in Libya over the weekend and the regime’s vow to fight protesters to the “to the last bullet. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has spoken of her “extreme concern,” while Rome does not want to “disturb” strongman Moammar Gaddafi and Prague has warned of a “catastrophe” if he falls.
http://euobserver.com/9/31842?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Palestinian Authority Traitors: Palestinians not to interfere with Libya”s internal affairs
GAZA, Feb 22 (KUNA) — Palestinian Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina stressed Tuesday that the situation in Libya is a domestic affair.  Abu Rudeina said in a telephone call with KUNA, “We wish the Libyian people stability and prosperity”.
He added that “We call on Palestinians in Libya not to interfere with Libya’s internal affairs”. 70,000 Palestinians are resident in Libya, many of them are from Gaza Strip.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2146945&Language=en

Solidarity
Hundreds take to streets of Gaza to demonstrate against Gaddafi
Gaza City – Hundreds of Gaza university students and supporters of the Hamas movement took to the streets of Gaza City Wednesday to demonstrate against Moamer Gaddafi, witnesses said.  They burned his picture, and chanted slogans against the Libyan leader, calling on him to step down after 41 years in power.  A protester said they were angered at Gaddafi, and other Arab leaders, for not doing enough to bring about Palestinian statehood.  Hamas, the Islamic movement which has administered the Gaza Strip since June 2007, condemned the violence Libyan forces have used against the demonstrators who are calling for change and the ouster of Gaddafi.  In a statement, Hamas said it ‘strongly condemns the massacres, the airstrikes and the artillery fire against the Libyan people carried out by the Libyan regime.’
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1621124.php/Hundreds-take-to-streets-of-Gaza-to-demonstrate-against-Gaddafi

Lebanese parties voice support for popular uprising in Libya
BEIRUT: Lebanese parties condemned Monday the Libyan regime’s violent attacks against its people and voiced support for the popular uprising against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s “corrupt rule.” As Lebanese factions across the political spectrum stressed their belief that the Libyan people would emerge victorious, they urged any new authority in Tripoli to turn a new page in ties with Beirut by revealing the fate of Imam Musa Sadr, the influential Shiite cleric and founder of Lebanon’s Amal who disappeared in Libya after a meeting with Gadhafi in August 1978. Ties between Libya and Lebanon have been frosty ever since his disappearance.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=125167#axzz1EYl2PmLb

Egyptians rally in support of Libya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFs5lSsz1q0&feature=player_embedded

Egyptians protest against Libya’s Gaddafi
CAIRO/ALEXANDRIA, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Libyan embassy in Cairo on Monday to demonstrate against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.  Similar demonstrations took place in Egypt’s northern port city of Alexandria, where dozens of Egyptians and Libyans protested in front of the Libyan consulate, carrying pictures of Gaddafi and his son Saif al-Islam with their faces crossed out.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/egyptians-protest-against-libyas-gaddafi

Dubai Protesters Defy Laws – Supports and Protests for Libya at Libyan Embassy
Earlier today in Dubai, a large group of protesters proudly demonstrated in front of Libya’s Embassy in the Emirates. It is against the law to demonstrate publicly and demonstrators may face arrest as a result.
http://feb17.info/media/dubai-defies-laws-supports-and-protests-for-libya-at-libyan-embassy/

IHH, “Protest against Gaddafi in Istanbul”
The IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, as well as several other NGOs, held a protest against the Gaddafi dictatorship on 21 February 2011, condemning the Libyan head of state for giving orders to fire on civilian protesters, and expressing support for the Libyan resistance. The protesters gathered in Taksim Square and marched on to the Libyan Consulate. In front of the consulate, writer and journalist Hilal Kaplan read a joint statement indicting Gaddafi for crimes against humanity. (Editor’s Note: IHH burst onto the world stage as a joint sponsor with the Free Gaza Movement of a Free Gaza flotilla including the MV Mavi Marmara, the ship that Israeli forces attacked on 31 May 2010, killing nine Turkish citizens, one of whom was a Turkish-American dual citizen.)
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/ihh220211.html

Candlight Vigil for Libya
Tuesday, February 22 · 7:00pm – 8:00pm @ 1600 Pennselvania Ave, Washington DC (in front of the White House, North side) In the last week more than 500 civilians have been massacred at the hands of the Gaddafi regime, and by tonight the number of deaths is expected to top 1000. We need to let the world know this is unacceptabled. We need to let Obama know that we will not let their voices die in vain. Even if you can’t make it, please let others know.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=168012516579197

Libyan Outreach Group Press Release- February 22, 2011
http://feb17.info/media/libyan-outreach-group-press-release-february-22-2011/

Dear United Nations, Anonymous wishes you to act
We are watching the developments in Libya and are shocked.
Shocked by the images we’ve seen.
Shocked by the things Libya’s Anons have told us.
Shocked by the fact that one man ignores the voices of his citizens and opens fire on them.
Shocked by the fact that even with generals and diplomats deserting, this man is still ignoring the will of his people and unwilling to accept their human rights
http://feb17.info/media/anonymous/

Take Action:  Afriqiyah, Cargo Company, Allegedly Responsible for Shipping Mercenaries to Libya
According to @ChangeInLibya,  Afriqiyah airways is responsible for flying in mercenaries into Libya to kill Libyas. @ChangeInLibya also stated the CEO quit but chairman has yet to.  Please let them know how you feel about this. Here is the contact page to the company: TO: Afriqiyah Contact SUBJECT Line: MURDERERS! Here is Company Page http://www.afriqiyah.aero
http://feb17.info/media/afriqiyah-cargo-company-allegedly-responsible-for-shipping-mercenaries-to-libya/

Other Related News
Watch Al Jazeera during jamming
Alternative frequencies on the Nilesat, Badr4 and Hotbird satellites where the signals are available.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/201122115405296823.html

Libya unrest stops some oil output, firms move staff
FRANKFURT/LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Spreading unrest in Libya shut down 6 percent of oil output in Africa’s No.3 producer and prompted a number of energy firms to pull out international staff, sending oil prices above $105 a barrel.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libya-unrest-stops-some-oil-output-firms-move-staff


Libya oil output drops by 6 percent
Spreading unrest in Libya shut down 6 percent of oil output in Africa’s third-largest producer and prompted a host of energy companies to pull out international staff, sending oil prices to above $105 a barrel.  Wintershall, the oil and gas exploration arm of BASF said Monday it was winding down Libyan oil production of as much as 100,000 barrels per day. A host of companies, including Royal Dutch Shell, ENI and OMV said they were withdrawing expatriate staff.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=125133#axzz1EYl2PmLb

Shockwaves from Libya hit Italian business
MILAN – Shockwaves from the unrest in Libya on Monday hit its former colonial overlord Italy — a top foreign investor in Libya and a country in which the North African state has also invested billions.  Libya’s sovereign wealth fund and veteran ruler Moamer Kadhafi’s family own stakes in Italy’s biggest bank UniCredit, defence and industry giant Finmeccanica, as well as in the first-division Juventus football club.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/21/shockwaves-from-libya-hit-italian-business/

Analysis
Social media, cellphone video fuel Arab protests (AFP)
AFP – Social media, cellphone cameras, satellite television, restive youth and years of pent-up anger are proving to be a toxic mix for authoritarian regimes in the Middle East.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110222/wl_mideast_afp/mideastusitmediaunrestsocietytelecominternet

In eastern Libya, citizens bouyant and cautious as they await Gadhafi’s move
Editor’s note: CNN’s Ben Wedeman reports from eastern Libya after crossing into that country from Egypt. He is the first Western television correspondent to enter and report from Libya during the current crisis.
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/21/in-eastern-libya-citizens-bouyant-and-cautious-as-they-await-gadhafis-move/


Libya’s falling tyrant
Gaddafi reaps what he has sown during his four-decade rule: terror, nepotism, tribal politics and abuse of power.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/02/201122120055942895.html#

Gaddafis warn their departure would lead to endless war in Libya. Why?
The Libyan leader claimed he was clinging to power to prevent tribal conflict.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/21/gaddafis-cling-to-power

Saif Qaddafi pulls a Ben Ali?
LAMEEN SOUAG at Jabal al-Lughat catches Saif Qaddafi, in a speech to Libyans, announcing his intention to forgo written notes and speak “directly” to the people in dialectal Libyan Arabic. We noted something like this before: Zine el Abedine ben Ali surprised viewers by speaking Tunisian dialect in trying to forge a bond with his compatriots during the protests against his government, but it was too little too late—that was his last speech as president. Hosni Mubarak kept things grave and formal with Modern Standard Arabic in his last speeches, perhaps trying to avoid the whiff of desperation around Mr ben Ali’s efforts.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2011/02/arabic_dialect

Gadhafi’s reformist engineer son long seen as successor
Saif al-Islam, son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, had long been seen as the successor to his father before the wave of protests that has shaken the North African country.  The 38-year-old occupies no formal political office but wields vast influence. He is pictured in the media as the new and respectable face of a regime that was for years accused of supporting terrorism. The New York Times last year described him as “the Western-friendly face of Libya and symbol of its hopes for reform and openness.” Speaking English, German and some French, he expresses himself calmly and deliberately.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=125148#axzz1EYl2PmLb


Libya Protests: Gadhafi’s Hold Weakens As Protests Intensify
CAIRO — Deep cracks open up in Moammar Gadhafi’s regime after more than 40 years in power, with diplomats abroad and the justice minister at home resigning, air force pilots defecting and a fire raging at the main government hall after clashes in the capital Tripoli. Protesters called for another night of defiance in Tripoli’s main square despite the government’s heavy crackdown.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/21/libya-protests-gadhafis-h_n_826080.html

Britain, Italy condemned for Libya ties
The countries have done business with Kadafi’s regime in recent years, including the reported sale of tear gas and bullets from a British arms dealer. They opted for engagement instead of estrangement, lured in part by the prospect of Libyan oil. Decisions by Britain and Italy to do business with the regime of Moammar Kadafi have led to billions of dollars in contracts for companies from both countries.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/RKydpepYDc4/la-fg-libya-europe-20110222,0,3625282.story


Where could Colonel Muammar Gaddafi go if he were exiled?
Libyan leader could follow Tunisia’s Ben Ali to Saudi Arabia – or seek asylum in Venezuela or a host of African countries. Idi Amin finished up in Saudi Arabia. Mobutu Sese Seko went to Togo then settled in Morocco. Mengistu Haile Mariam, author of Ethiopia’s Red Terror, is living out his days in Zimbabwe. And so, if the once unthinkable should happen and the dictator falls in Libya, whither Muammar Gaddafi?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/21/muammar-gaddafi-exile-options

Tribal hostility to the regime boiling over
WHEN the leader of a tribe from the east of the country denounced the actions of the Gaddafi regime on Sunday, few experts on Libya’s history were surprised.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/tribal-hostility-to-the-regime-boiling-over/story-e6frg6so-1226010337242

Moammar Gaddafi must pay for atrocities
REPORTS FROM Libya Monday were sketchy and confused, but one conclusion appeared certain: the beleaguered dictatorship of Moammar Gaddafi was waging war against its own population and committing atrocities that demand not just condemnation but action by the outside world. Al-Jazeera reported that warplanes had joined security forces in attacking anti-government demonstrators in the capital, Tripoli; human rights groups said that hundreds had been killed in clashes in the country’s east. Libya’s own delegation to the United Nations described the regime’s actions as genocide and asked for international intervention.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/21/AR2011022103233.html

Iron fist
How far could Libya’s Col Gaddafi go to save his regime?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-12532579

Kadafi’s last refuge, fear, is collapsing
Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi’s vanity and reliance on repression led him to underestimate the anger against him among his own people.  Moammar Kadafi’s many vanities led the Libyan leader and his intelligence network into miscalculating the breadth of outrage against him in his own land. Long one of the Arab world’s most perplexing personalities, Kadafi has traveled the globe with a tent, warning against foreign intervention while polishing his image at home as the father of the revolution.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/bV7LLspPp68/la-fg-libya-kadafi-20110222,0,3648239.story


We can no longer live under Gaddafi’s evil subjugation | Mohamed Abdul Malek
Libya’s oil has protected its regime from criticism abroad. But those who support democracy must back our fight for freedom. ‘Libya is not Tunisia or Egypt. Libya is different, if there is disturbance it will split into several states.” These were the words of the son of Muammar Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, on Libyan state TV on Sunday. He is right of course; Libya is not Egypt or Tunisia. It is a country of over 600,000 sq miles of land, populated by less than 7 million people. Since 1969 it has known just one leader – a man who has shown merciless cruelty to anyone who speaks out against him, the regime or the revolution he headed. It is a country built on the foundations of tribal unity and which, despite having the largest oil reserves in Africa, continues to allow two-thirds of its citizens to live below the poverty line. It is also a country that cannot boast of long ties with Europe and the west, having only in the last few years made amends with its neighbours across the Mediterranean after years of US- and UN-imposed sanctions.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/21/no-longer-live-gaddafi-evil-subjugation

Libya: Gaddafi’s destructive path | Editorial
The masses are rising up against him, in the process demonstrating how destructive his reign has been.  It has been Muammar Gaddafi’s conceit that he abolished the conventional state and replaced it with an organic system that empowered the masses. Now those masses are rising up against him, in the process demonstrating how destructive his rule has been in Libya. Far from creating new institutions, he swept away what little the country possessed in the way of civil society and political tradition.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/22/libya-gaddafi-destructive-path-editorial

Qaddafi’s Bombardments Recall Mussolini’s, Juan Cole
The strafing and bombardment in Tripoli of civilian demonstrators by Muammar Qaddafi’s fighter jets on Monday powerfully recalled the tactics of some decades ago of Benito Mussolini, who spoke of imposing a ‘Roman Peace’ on Libya. In 1930, under Mussolini’s governor of Libya, Rodolfo Graziani, some 80,000 Libyans were removed to concentration camps, where 55% of the inmates perished. In 1933-1940, Italo Balbo championed aerial warfare as the best means to deal with uppity colonial populations. Between 1912 and 1943, half of all Libyans were killed, starved or chased from the country by the Italian colonial regime.  American pundits speak glibly of “Islamofascism,” thus deeply insulting Muslims by tying their religion to a Western political movement. What they do not know is that Libyan Muslims suffered mightily at the hands of the real fascists. The movement of Omar Mukhtar, the school teacher who turned anti-colonialist revolutionary, was repressed by Italian fascism.
http://www.juancole.com/2011/02/qaddafis-bombardments-recall-mussolinis.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29

The Gates of Hell Have Opened in Tripoli, Juan Cole
I am watching Aljazeera Arabic, which is calling people in Tripoli on the telephone and asking them what is going on in the capital. The replies are poignant in their raw emotion, bordering on hysteria. The residents are alleging that the Qaddafi regime has scrambled fighter jets to strafe civilian crowds, has deployed heavy artillery against them, and has occupied the streets with armored vehicles and strategically-placed snipers. One man is shouting that “the gates of Hell have opened” in the capital and that “this is Halabja!” (where Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ordered helicopter gunships to hit a Kurdish city with sarin gas, killing 5000 in 1988).
http://www.juancole.com/2011/02/the-gates-of-hell-have-opened-in-tripoli.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29

Robert Fisk: Cruel. Vainglorious. Steeped in blood. And now, surely, after more than four decades of terror and oppression, on his way out?
So even the old, paranoid, crazed fox of Libya – the pallid, infantile, droop-cheeked dictator from Sirte, owner of his own female praetorian guard, author of the preposterous Green Book, who once announced he would ride to a Non-Aligned Movement summit in Belgrade on his white charger – is going to ground. Or gone. Last night, the man I first saw more than three decades ago, solemnly saluting a phalanx of black-uniformed frogmen as they flappered their way across the sulphur-hot tarmac of Green Square on a torrid night in Tripoli during a seven-hour military parade, appeared to be on the run at last, pursued – like the dictators of Tunis and Cairo – by his own furious people.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/cruel-vainglorious-steeped-in-blood-and-now-surely-after-more-than-four-decades-of-terror-and-oppression-on-his-way-out-2221687.html

Lybia’s Kadhafi in Increasing Jeopardy after 41 Years in Power
Amid reports of hundreds killed in Libya protests, long-time ruler Moamer Kadhafi appeared on Monday to be in increasing jeopardy Monday as anti-government protests reached the capital for the first time, leaving dozens dead at the hands of the security forces as press reports said that Libyan military planes fired at the protests in Tripoli for the first time.  The dramatic developments came less than 24 hours after a “war speech” by Kadhafi’s son, Saif al-Islam Kadhafi, who did not hesitate to warn his nation of a bloody civil war if the demonstrators refuse to accept reform offers.
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=3241&cid=21&fromval=1&frid=21&seccatid=64&s1=1


Overthrow of Libya’s regime won’t look like Egypt or Tunisia
The ‘betrayal’ reflected by the demonstrations cannot end with a dialogue or quiet transfer of power, because the Libyan regime is the leader himself.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/overthrow-of-libya-s-regime-won-t-look-like-egypt-or-tunisia-1.344874


Libya: The Violence of An Unraveling Regime [Ongoing Updates]
Last night, Saif al-Din al-Qaddafi—son of Libyan “leader” Colonel Mu’ammar al-Qaddafi—gave a televised speech in which he denied the existence of genuine grievances and protests for regime change in Libya, attributing the last six days of social unrest to both foreign interference as well as “drunken and drugged out” elements of society. The protests, which began in Benghazi in the eastern part of the country, have spread to all major urban and rural areas, including the capital city of Tripoli in the western part of the country. Typical of most existing and former authoritarian regimes in the Arab world, Saif al-Din claimed that without the regime Libya would be thrown into chaos—all varieties of it (an Islamist takeover, a civil war between the resource-rich eastern and population-dense western provinces, and the return of colonialism). He proceeded to assert the resolve of the regime to withstand all attempts to “undermine the state of Libya” threatening that “now is the time” to use violence in all its forms, including the armed forces, armed civilians, and the revolutionary committees. Saif al-Din ended his speech with what appeared to be a dare directed at the Libyan people. He claimed that thousands of protesters represented very little of the 5-6 million inhabitants of Libya.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/707/libya_the-violence-of-an-unraveling-regime_ongoing-updates-


How Qaddafi Lost Libya, Andrew Solomon
It seemed unlikely that Libya, sandwiched between regime collapse in Tunisia and regime collapse in Egypt, could be untouched by the movement. Qaddafi has had dominion over an increasingly malcontent country, and the citizens have been increasingly disgusted by the gap between his rhetoric of direct democracy and his autocratic grip on power. When I wrote about Qaddafi for The New Yorker, in 2006, the question was whether a much-advertised reform process was really underway. The ostensible champion of reform was Qaddafi’s son Seif-al-Islam. Seif usually talks a good game, but he does so with minimal regard for the truth. I was amazed, at a meeting with Seif and some senior American diplomats, in 2008, to hear him describe as imminent the exact same plans he’d so described to me in 2005, without the slightest embarrassment that nothing he had promised then had even inched forward. The regime has always wanted credit for its beneficent decrees, without accepting blame for its failure even to try to turn them into results. Libyans are aware that this represents a higher degree of hypocrisy than is common in most of the rest of the world. For a long time, they did not much love Qaddafi, but they did not hate him, either; he was in many ways irrelevant to their lives, which chugged along according to a tribal logic that had been in place long before the regime came to power. Libyans are leery of democracy; they like a strong ruler who can keep tribal rivalries from erupting. But they do not particularly like their current strong ruler.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/02/how-qaddafi-lost-libya.html?printable=true&currentPage=all#ixzz1Ef92xJFa

Brother’ Gaddafi, you’re going down, Pepe Escobar
You know the fat lady is about to sing when a dictator unleashes hell from above over his own unarmed, civilian compatriots, and bombs parts of his capital city. That’s a bridge too far even by the unspeakable standards of Western-backed dictators in the Arab world.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MB23Ak01.html

Qaddafi’s bloody counterattack, Steve Negus
An excellent crowd-sourced map on Google on the uprising in Libya has been created by one Arasmus, here. Given the lack of information, any interpretation of the postings will be at best a guess, but here is mine: the eastern cities are rebel-controlled, but Tripoli has at least temporarily been bludgeoned into submission and is saturated with pro-regime forces, other western and central towns are under attack, and now Qaddafi is contemplating how to regain control of the east before his authority completely unravels. The regime seems to have a shortage of reliable forces, as the army is highly decentralized and, according to some Libya experts, divided on tribal lines. A few units (maybe Khamis al-Qaddafi’s 32nd brigade?) appear to be loyal, a few units (in the east) have mutinied, but the rest are presumably in limbo — they have not actually mutinied but the regime does not want to commit them, as they may well mutiny as soon as they are ordered to fire on civilians.
http://www.arabist.net/blog/2011/2/22/qaddafis-bloody-counterattack.html

A Genocide in Libya “Graphic”
What is currently happening in Libya can only be described as a genocide , this is the only description that fits what Qaddafi and his regime is committing against the great people of Libya. Qaddafi appeared from an hour ago ‘it is 3 AM Cairo local time’ after announcement that he would address the public. Many people in the Arab world not only  Libyans waited for his speech , we saw what his son said and we were waiting for his speech which could be the last “ I hope so” Qaddafi broke lots of records today , he killed more of his own people than Mubarak “18 days” and Ben Ali “30 days” and he said a speech shorter than Omar Soliman’s historical announcement !!
http://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2011/02/genocide-in-libya-graphic.html

Seif Qadhafi’s PhD thesis from LSE, Issandr El Amrani

A kind reader sent in a copy of the PhD thesis Seif al-Qadhafi, filed in September 2007 at the London School of Economics (whose former chancellor, Tony Giddens, was an advisor to his father). It’s called “The Role Of Civil Society In The Democratisation Of Global Governance Institutions: From ‘Soft Power’ to Collective Decision-Making?“  Update: Ethan sent in this link to BoingBoing, which in turn links to documentation of plagiarism in the thesis.
http://www.arabist.net/blog/2011/2/22/seif-qadhafis-phd-thesis-from-lse.html

The Libyan Labyrinth, VIJAY PRASHAD
In 1969, Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi (age 27) surprised the aged King Idris, then in Turkey for medical treatment. Inspired by the Free Officers in Egypt, Qaddafi and his fellow Colonels force-marched the fragile Libyan State and even more fragile Libyan society into socialism. Libya’s main product was its oil, and by the time Idris was deposed the country exported three million barrels of oil per day. Scandalously, it received the lowest rent per barrel in the world. Idris feasted on the rents, and the people suffered immeasurably. It is the reason why there was barely any opposition to Qaddafi’s coup.
http://www.counterpunch.com/prashad02222011.html

Cartoons
Carlos Latuff: Gadafi the Coward
http://palestinianpundit.blogspot.com/2011/02/carlos-latuff-gadafi-coward.html

Carlos Latuff: Gadafi drowning in the blood of libyans
http://palestinianpundit.blogspot.com/2011/02/carlos-latuff-gadafi-drowning-in-blood.html


Steve Bell on Egypt

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cartoon/2011/feb/22/steve-bell-egypt

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