UN Human Rights Official Calls for Investigation Into Gaddafi Death

United Nations human rights spokesperson Rupert Colville says he wants to investigate the circumstances around Muammar Gaddafi’s death. Despite numerous videos it’s still unclear exactly how the former Libyan leader died. Lisa Mullins speaks with the UN spokesperson.

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LISA MULLINS: The human rights office of the United Nations is asking for a full investigation of Muammar Gaddafi’s death. Widely seen videos of the former Libyan dictator’s capture show him bloodied and confused but alive. Other images show him dead. What happened in between those two sets of images is what the UN wants to know about. Meanwhile, Libya’s National Transitional Council has delayed Gaddafi’s burial. His body is reportedly now being kept in a morgue in Misrata. Rupert Colville is the United Nations human rights spokesperson. Why does Gaddafi’s death need UN investigating?

RUPERT COLVILLE: Well, because as you pointed out, there are these two videos, one showing him alive, captured but alive, and another one showing him dead. The big question is how did he die? There are four or five different versions of how he died. Some of those versions suggest some kind of combat situation, and some suggest something like an ex judicial summary execution. According to the laws of war, if someone’s killed in combat, that’s acceptable in most circumstances. That’s an unfortunate product of war; it kills people. But a summary execution is never legal. It’s like torture; it’s always illegal.

MULLINS: Do you have any evidence right now that there was indeed a summary execution?

COLVILLE: No, but I think these two videos, put them together and they become very disturbing. You see a man who’s alive and captured, and then you see the same man dead. That does raise questions.

MULLINS: How do you go about finding out what happened in between?

COLVILLE: I don’t want to put too much emphasis on it because we shouldn’t forget there is thousands of other people who’ve been killed in Libya. It’s not all about Gaddafi. We’re saying it should be investigated. We need more clarity about what happened here first because it’s the law, and the law is the law. Secondly, I think it’s important that the rule of law in established in the new Libya. Libya really changed yesterday with the death of Gaddafi, but it’s facing a huge task ahead in terms of establishing a justice system, police, all the basic building blocks of a civilized society that Gaddafi did not have in palce over the previous 42 years.

MULLINS: What happens in a practical way? Is anyone from the UN…? Presumably, they’re right now talking to people who saw Gaddafi alive and can say what happened between then and when we have pictures of him dead.

COLVILLE: Well, we’ll have to see. I don’t want to prejudge how the commissioner inquiry will function. I can’t tell you exactly what they’ll do and when they’ll do it. But obviously, when you’re looking into human rights violations, it’s not like building a prosecution case. You don’t have to have as much evidence, as much detail. You’re looking at it in terms of probability. You do need usually at least two independent sources before you start determining something is likely to have happened. Depending on what they find and how strong it is, they might make some recommendations. They might recommend further follow-up. They might recommend the Libyans, themselves, set up some kind of inquiry or the Libyans, themselves, may do that anyway. There are many possibilities. It doesn’t have to be outsiders coming in dictating to the Libyans how to do it. They might themselves do it. You see some statements by the interim authorities that show they realize there is potentially a problem here.

MULLINS: Is this a war crime if there was a summary execution of Gaddafi?

COLVILLE: It’s a serious international crime. Whether if it’s a war crime or not depends on the circumstances. But it’s a serious international crime, and it’s prohibited. It’s like murder. Murder is murder, and it can’t be justified. You might hardly dislike the person you’ve murdered, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is a murder.

MULLINS: Speaking to us from Geneva, Rupert Colville, the UN spokesperson for human rights. The United Nations wants to investigate the circumstances of Gaddafi’s death. Thank you, Rupert Colville.

COLVILLE: You’re welcome.

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