Disgraced Libyan dictator reported dead
UPDATED: Oct. 20, 3:25 p.m.
Moammar al Gadhafi, disgraced Libyan dictator, is reported dead after months at war with Libyan rebels, according to an Oct. 20 article from The New York Times. Libyans celebrated as the Al Jazeera television network televised what was said to be Gadhafi’s body.
Fighting has engulfed the country since February, when Libyans rose up against Gadhafi’s 40-year tyrannical rule as part of the larger Arab Spring. Gadhafi fled opposition forces and has been on the run since his regime’s collapse.
During his rule, the former dictator was accused of coordinating a number of human rights violations, including the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Of the 259 onboard passengers who died, 35 were Syracuse University students returning home from study abroad trips in London and Florence, Italy. Eleven people were killed on the ground in Lockerbie from the plane’s falling debris.
Kevin Quinn, vice president of public affairs at SU, said in a statement that Gadhafi’s death again reminds the university’s ties to the tragedy.
‘Today, we once again remember our students and all who were lost in the Pan Am 103 tragedy, and the grief and sense of loss their families still bear, ‘ he said. ‘We stand in support of our families today, as we do every day, and continue to honor the memory of those lost.’
The only person ever convicted of the bombing, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, remains alive despite reports that he was comatose and on his deathbed in August. Al-Megrahi was released from imprisonment in 2009 on compassionate grounds after being diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer.
News of Gadhafi’s death comes from Abdul Hakim Belhaj, leader of the Tripoli military council, according to the article. In the weeks leading up to his death, Gadhafi loyalists and rebels were fighting for control in the former dictator’s hometown of Sirte.
Published on October 19, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Contact Debbie: dbtruong@syr.edu | @debbietruong
