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 RetweetGadafi's Son Blithely Admits Torturing Foreign Medics

Fri, Aug 10, 2007 at 8:56:58 am PDT

The son of Libyan dictator Muammar Gadafi has admitted they tortured the foreign medics they were holding hostage, and threatened their families: Libya ‘tortured’ Bulgarian medics.

Real torture, not Andrew Sullivan-style torture.

The European Union would be outraged, but they’re too busy making deals with Libya.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi told Al Jazeera TV that Libyan investigators tortured the medics with electric shocks and threatened to target their families.

But Mr Gaddafi denied his country would face legal action for mistreating them.

The five nurses and a Palestinian-born doctor served eight years in detention before being freed by Libya last month. The release was made possible by a deal struck in Tripoli on improving Libya-EU ties, following years of negotiations.

In an interview with the Arabic news channel on Wednesday, Mr Gaddafi admitted the medics had been tortured into confessing.

“Yes, they were tortured by electricity and they were threatened that their family members would be targeted,” he said. “But a lot of what the Palestinian doctor has claimed are merely lies.”

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70 comments

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1 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 8:58:16am

Bomb the shit out of Libya.

2 Iron Fist[deleted]  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 8:58:22am
3 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 8:58:48am

And get Kadaffy Duck this time.

4 Shug  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 8:58:55am
they were tortured by electricity

That's not torture.
Loud rap music
hot female interrogators
panties on the head

now that's torture

5 DIAMONDMASC  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 8:59:26am

The screaming hypocrisy of the leftists will be exposed yet again as not one will end up commenting on this story, or if they do blame it on this "illegal immoral war" they really have no shame

6 SeafoodGumbo  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 8:59:32am

His wiki:

Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi (Arabic: %u0633%u064A%u0641 %u0627%u0644%u0625%u0633%u0644%u0627%u0645 %u0627%u0644%u0642%u0630%u0627%u0641%u064A, translation: sword of Islam) is a son of Muammar al-Gaddafi, leader of Libya. A painter, he graduated from IMADEC University and from the London School of Economics. Today he heads up the official charity, the Gaddafi International Foundation for Charity Associations, which has intervened in various hostage situations involving Islamic militants and, most notably, the crisis of the HIV trial in Libya and the resulting European Union-Libyan rapprochement.

Saif also performs in public relations and diplomatic roles for his father. He has been mentioned as a possible successor, though he has denied this, claiming that Libya's future lies in direct democracy.

On December 10, 2004, shortly before a trip by Canadian prime minister Paul Martin to Tripoli, Gaddafi requested in an interview with The Globe and Mail a formal apology from the Canadian government, for joining U.S.-led sanctions against Libya after the Lockerbie bombing, and for denying him a student visa to study in Canada in 1997. His request was met with incredulity in Canada, and the Canadian government announced that no apology would be forthcoming.

Gaddafi also introduced the Seif Islam Gaddafi proposal for peace for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict between the Palestinians and Israel based on the creation of a binational solution (sometimes called "Isratine" as a portmanteau of "Israel" and "Palestine").

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been romantically linked to the Israeli actress Orly Weinerman.

7 Pawn of the Oppressor  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 8:59:38am

Torture? Sure, we ethnocentric caucasians call it that... But that's Just Like, Their Culture, Man.™

8 JammieWearingFool  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:00:07am

No doubt the NY Times will have 50 stories about this on the front page comparing it with the horrors of Abu Ghraib and Club Gitmo.

9 lawhawk  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:00:54am

And no one, and I mean no one, will take Libya to task for this.

Life will go on as though the admission never happened. I will find it curious whether HRW or AI will even bother citing this admission when it comes to their next annual report. /filing this away for future posting.

10 Shug  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:00:55am
Gaddafi denied his country would face legal action for mistreating them

oh yeah, Mr tough guy. Take this !

Sternly worded letter of condemnation

Hah ! that'll teach you !

/UN

11 Kreuzueber Halbmond  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:01:01am

I think they can be trusted with nuclear technology, now.

/

12 susanl  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:01:02am

Sick pathetic society. They treat human beings the way Micheal Vick (allegedly) treats dogs.

We have any dealings with them, why?

I truly wish that we could marginalize these morons completely.

Susan

13 Ben Hur  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:01:11am

They really don't like Palestinians.

14 playblu  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:01:44am

"Orly Weinerman"?

15 bosforus  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:02:25am

so...will anyone get punished for this?

16 blue_like_jazz  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:03:00am

Ronald Reagan the great one is rolling over in his grave.

17 docremulac  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:03:01am

I'm sure the New York Times will run dozens of front page stories on this the way they did with the Abu Ghraib prison "torture" scandal.

18 Abu Al-Poopypants  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:03:07am
The release was made possible by a deal struck in Tripoli on improving Libya-EU ties, following years of negotiations.

"Improving *cough*ransom*cough* Libya-EU ties"?.

19 Canadastani  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:03:13am

I go to Bulgaria every year. The Bulgarians are outraged that Europe did so little to help get their nurses rescued. And yes, they know that the nurses were raped from day 1 in prison.
"Thanks for coming to volunteer your medical services, now we have a foreigner to blame for our own lack of hygeine." Either that, or Arafat came and visited an elementary school.

20 Canadastani  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:04:06am

19 I meant that Europe did so little for so long to help the nurses - Europe did help secure their release.

21 Carridine  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:04:19am
"We have met the enemy, and he are mainly Muslim..."

/sad and sick

22 Ghengis Khan  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:05:30am

It's a sick world... chinese corpse brides

23 susanl  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:05:30am

re: #17 docremulac

I'm sure the New York Times will run dozens of front page stories on this the way they did with the Abu Ghraib prison "torture" scandal.

I like to believe that someday, somehow the perpetrators of the fraud that is the New York Times will have to pay for their sins. I know it is unlikely, but a gal can dream can't she?

24 lobo91  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:07:07am
Libya 'tortured' Bulgaian medics

Interesting use of scare quotes, there.

25 Carridine  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:07:49am

re: #22 Ghengis Khan

It's a sick world... chinese corpse brides

Materialism running rampant!

26 Ben Hur  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:08:25am

"Palestinian born..."

Once a Palestinian, always a Palestinian.

27 WhIteSidE  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:08:26am

re: #9 lawhawk

. . . I will find it curious whether HRW or AI will even bother citing this admission when it comes to their next annual report. . .

It may totally unfounded, but I have always had the impression that HRW was a bit left hardcore nut job than AI, and made at least some effort to actually report on legitimate abuses.

28 Geepers  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:08:39am

Ya gotta love the BBC.

The first paragraph:

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son has said the six Bulgarian medics who were imprisoned for deliberately infecting children with HIV were tortured.

Stated as fact.

And they still refer to the Glasgow Torch as an "alleged" terrorist attack.

29 pat  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:08:48am

Of course the rape, the forced nakedness of both the Dr and nurses in the same room, and the bizarre sex games they forced the women to do are hardly worth mentioning.

30 Ben Hur  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:09:55am

I wonder if this is the "Torture" the Quakers are referring to in their "Torture is Wrong" sign outside their Meeting House.

31 Sharmuta  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:10:11am

Is part of the deal that these medics cannot speak or write about their experiences? Perhaps it is too soon for them to want to relive their ordeal, but if prisons in other islamic countries are any indication, there was much more than electricity involved in this torture.

32 BingoBunny  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:11:11am

Hey he said most of it was lies.. who are you going to believe.. victims or the son of a great Leader like "Ga'coughy" .. besides Bush made them do it. Does the west want oil or trouble with their betters?

33 reloadingisnotahobby  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:11:52am

re: #12 susanl
They could have been years ago ...
But that hrse is long gone.
The only thing is to probably pick a fight
and bring the bigger stick!
Sad It's come to that!

34 Honorary Yooper  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:12:31am

re: #10 Shug

Gaddafi denied his country would face legal action for mistreating them

oh yeah, Mr tough guy. Take this !

Sternly worded letter of condemnation

Hah ! that'll teach you !

/UN

Shug, you got to say that with a French accent!

Zee sternleee worded leatter of zee condemnat-ion

35 lawhawk  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:13:59am

Watch your blood pressure with this one. Hot Air tried getting Murtha to comment on the dismissal of charges against Marines Stone and Sharrett yesterday.

What they got was a whole lot of no comment and hang up.

Classy.

36 pat  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:14:27am

OT
More on the dhimmitude of Belgium. This is a much broader take, basically it states the Europe is marching towards totalitarianism and freedom of speech is now officially stifled except for the approved text. Like China, but that analogy is mine.
http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2007/08/open-let ter-to-fellow-europeans.html

37 Ringo the Gringo  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:15:06am

Fox now reporting 57 killed in Southern Philippine clashes with Abu Sayyaf, including 25 Filipino troops.

38 Shug  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:15:16am

re: #34 Honorary Yooper

how would they say it in the U.P.?

39 mean Gene  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:15:21am

He did know that they and their visitors over the years had clued us in on the fact that they were tortured, right?
I had already heard about beatings, rapes, being hung by the arms, being threatened with death, with a gun to the side of the head being shot off to another direction and other torments.
Some of the nurses were thus coerced into false confessions.
So, what is he saying that we didn't already know?

40 Honorary Yooper  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:16:51am

re: #38 Shug

re: #34 Honorary Yooper

how would they say it in the U.P.?

Sternly worded letter of condemnation, eh. Ya, read it or else, eh.

41 zipity  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:17:22am

Liberal Lefties would rather lower taxes and kiss Bush full on the lips before admitting that their silence on issues such as these boils down to a stealth form of racism. The same reason they say you can't bring democracy to the Middle East. "Well, you know THOSE people just can't be expected to behave any other way..."

42 Geepers  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:17:43am

Sharmuta (#31),

No.

Here's a BBC article:

One Bulgarian's Libyan ordeal

Zdravko Georgiev is the husband of one of the six Bulgarian medics imprisoned in Libya for infecting children with HIV. He too was held in Libya, and was released with his wife and her colleagues. Shortly before the seven of them were flown to Sofia, Dr Georgiev spoke to the BBC News website about his eight-year wait for freedom.

And once again they state the Libyan lies as fact. Absolutely disgraceful.

43 astronmr20  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:18:45am

It makes me wonder,

When these bastards wake up in Hell, will they be confused as to how they got there?

44 pat  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:19:19am

One of the nurses attended the press conference concerning torture. Three were too traumatized and the fourth was not present without explanation. But I listened to the press conference and I believe the nurse there was basically confirming the Drs description of what happened with the consent of all. From the Drs description, there is every reason to believe that the younger nurses were further abused.

45 LEGION  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:20:50am

re: #35 lawhawk

Let's send Murtha to Libya to investigate those torture allegations. I'll bet he'd be SHOCKED at the treatment they received, or he'll receive!

46 reggie  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:21:46am

Nothing to see here, folks. Move along... move along.

47 wvobiwan  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:21:53am

When the barbarians don't evolve at the same pace as the rest of the civilized world, we leave them unreckoned at our own peril.

I wonder how modern media justifies the fact that they almost single-handedly perpetuate every un-PC, tyrannical, genocidal, psychopathic warlord and culture in the world?

48 Jack Reacher  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:23:06am

re: #39 mean Gene

Quite right. It reminds me of the fanfare with Time's cover announcing "Dan Quayle Was Right!" (Children from intact families fare better than those from broken homes. Duh.). Time found research that proposed what sensible people had known all along.

The torture of these people has been known for years, but now that Ghadaffi Jr. (Improved Terrorist, in a New Concentrated Formula!) says it, it's news. I guess it's not confirmed until the torturers admit it. But, um, that rule doesn't apply to Club Gitmo, or Abu Ghraib.

49 Sharmuta  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:25:53am

re: #42 Geepers

That is disgusting.

50 Ghengis Khan  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:27:04am

re: #25 Carridine


seriously I just about vomited when I read that article. I can't stop shuddering. Why isn't this stuff on the headlines?

51 Sharmuta  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:27:52am

re: #42 Geepers

I can't think what they did to those women...

/You know they did.

52 reine.de.tout  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:27:56am
Yes, they were tortured by electricity and they were threatened that their family members would be targeted,” he said. “But a lot of what the Palestinian doctor has claimed are merely lies


So, they were brutally tortured, but it's really OK, because it wasn't as bad as the Palestinian doctor claimed? How can these people live with themselves.

53 Kirly  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:29:57am

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi needs to be Qussay'ed and/or Uday'ed.

come on bulgaria, ask for some help to accomplish justice!

54 Lauraf  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:33:17am

This "deal" (G-d I hate that word) is such a horrible precedent. Surely they realise that they have now endangered the lives of foreign aid workers everywhere? Want a great new "deal" with the EU? Dreaming about nuclear reactors, political credibility, and lots of money for nothing? Just hold and torture some nurses or doctors on trumped up charges, "try" them and sentence them to death, and voila! Your dreams can come true. Yech!

55 daughter of patriots  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:41:26am

re: #25 Carridine

re: #22 Ghengis Khan


It's a sick world... chinese corpse brides

Materialism running rampant!

Strange mark-missing morbid corruption: what you get when you mix Capitalism without Liberty.

56 Ward Cleaver  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:53:13am

Torture is listening to Andrew Sullivan.

57 SorenK  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 9:58:41am

#53 Kirly

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi needs to be Qussay'ed and/or Uday'ed.
come on bulgaria, ask for some help to accomplish justice!

Hmmm. In this case I have to disagree. The background to this is that Saif is actually working to modernise and democratise Libya. But since he has no actual 'power' (his Dad has it ALL) the best he can do is to play the 'diplomatic' game, and that means publicise, work behind the scenes and build a power base.

His admission that the medics were tortured was designed to place pressure on those in the Libyan authorities who allowed this to happen. Saif has also, in other interviews, stated that his country is beset by corruption and outdated institutions. He wants to bring Libya into the 21st century but he is dealing with centuries of bigotry and competing factions.

I think he should be given cedit for what he did. If you listen to the whole interview it is clear he is criticising - not gloating.

Now, he

58 jonturner  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 10:02:25am

re: #10 Shug

Easy, there Shug! Save the big ammunition for later -- that was unnecessarily harsh. According to my shopworn copy of The UN Negotiator's Handbook, a mild rebuke or possibly a simple disagreeable shrug of the shoulders would be more appropriate. Of course, that's only after all other avenues have been thoroughly exhausted and bribes are no longer effective.

59 Bunker Buster  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 10:03:48am
Real torture, not Andrew Sullivan-style torture.

You mean like reading the drivel on his blog?

60 Is it me?  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 10:05:44am

Why is anyone having anything to do with Libya at all. This sets a precident and a bad one at that. The EU are so gutless it's sickening. At least you have the Atlantic between you and these bunch, I only have the English Channel! Europe should make Libya off limits and tell people that they go there at their peril. I don't know why anyone is surprised by Ghadaffi Jr, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and they tend to get worse generation on generation - just look at Sodits kids.
I did have hopes for the French but now I don't know. Fwench it will have to be for the time being. Keep the Brie in the fridge and hope I suppose.

61 Kirly  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 10:08:23am

re: #57 SorenK

ok then, get rid of his tyrant father and put this guy in charge.

62 Pope Insouciance IV  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 10:08:50am

#22 Genghis

Let me be the first to say:
Ewww

63 jonturner  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 10:13:00am

OT, but Lawyers are really pissing me off today:
Reverse "honor killing"? 20-year Muslim convertee wife kills bigamist husband before trip to Moracco to impregnate 2nd wife. Definitely no virgins for you, pal! (The happy couple were living in a million dollar home from an $8 million lawsuit payout over death of daughter.)

More Lawyer News:
Bruce Tefft, a 21-year CIA veteran with 17 years in clandestine service, made some common-sense statements about Islam w/r/t terrorism. Result? Tefft is being sued by an Egyptian-born NYC police dept. analyst with delicate feelings. Mohammed Doe is supposed to be hunting down terrorists on the Internet, but the Poor Thing, joined an opt-in mailing list and out of thousands upon thousands of comments, read some "hurtful" comments such as:

"a good Muslim ... can't be a good American," "Burning the hate-filled Koran should be viewed as a public service at the least," and "This is not a war against terrorism ... it is against Islam and we are not winning."

and now the poor little analyst wants to sue. Notice he does not claim the comments are wrong, only insulting and hurtful. Yet the NYCPD is paying this joker is to track down terrorists on the internet? I'm not feeling confident. Hells bells, for all we know, he's being paid to surf internet Jihadi sites for his personal fun and intertainment.

Tefft dares say outloud what millions know to be true. The West is afraid to even name the enemy. I fail to find even these cherry-picked comments (chosen from many thousands of messages...) offensive. But then again, I'm not a hypersensitive Egyptian-born Muslim antiterrorism analyst with two attorneys looking for a payout.

For anyone interested in learning more about Mohammed Doe's legal team: Lead lawyer Ilann Maazel's profile: born in London 1971. Speaks Italian. Has a rather smug looking file photo.The junior attorney, Katherine Rosenfeld, just passed the bar last year so she hasn't been able to do too much damage.
If you can avoid vomiting, the legal eagles paint Mohammed Doe as a victim-patriot.

IMO, the "osint" mailing list is a GREAT antiterrorist resource! Tefft has been boots-on-the-ground in the hellholes of the world since these attorneys were in diapers.

I really do despise activist attorneys today.

64 goodbye_natalie  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 10:40:46am

My only hope left is there is true justice at the end of days...

Obviously, there isn't a leader of the free world with the guts to do the right thing and brutalize these thugs before killing them.

65 anotherindyfilmguy  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 12:26:16pm

I guess that's one of the tests of someone being a true monster-they think that their actions are normal everyday things because there's no one to tell them otherwise.

66 Jimash  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 1:12:02pm

re: #37 Ringo the Gringo

Fox now reporting 57 killed in Southern Philippine clashes with Abu Sayyaf, including 25 Filipino troops.

gotta fight those Zionists !.

re: #65 anotherindyfilmguy

I guess that's one of the tests of someone being a true monster-they think that their actions are normal everyday things because there's no one to tell them otherwise.

I've seen this slime ball on TV. He is a monster. Libya is backsliding badly.
Tme to drop one down HIS chimney.

67 Terp Mole  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 2:51:50pm

Left out the best line in the BBC article;

"There is negligence, there is a disaster that took place, there is a tragedy, but [But, BUT!] it was not deliberate," he said.

So, it was a tragic case of mistaken genital electricution?

/Islamo-nuance!

68 EE  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 8:45:34pm
Dr Ashraf Alhajouj, the Palestinian-born medic, told Dutch TV last month that Libyan authorities had drugged him, given him electric shocks by attaching electrodes to his genitals, and set police dogs on him.

He also said they had tied his arms and legs to a metal bar and spun him repeatedly, like a chicken on a rotisserie.

Mr Gaddafi also confirmed that some of the children had been infected with HIV before the medics arrived in Libya, something which international scientists say they have proven. One case was reported after their arrest.

"There is negligence, there is a disaster that took place, there is a tragedy, but it was not deliberate," he said.

Libyan courts had based their rulings on conflicting reports implicating the medics, he added.

It is difficult to imagine that a Palestinian doctor with a group of Bulgarian nurses would go to Libya to deliberately spread AIDS. It doesn't make sense. They went there to do their jobs.

What I can imagine is that sterilization techniques were improper, and/or that needles that should have been discarded were re-used, and maybe this caused the HIV infection to spread. Perhaps they used the same needles for taking blood samples from an HIV infected patient as for other patients who did not have any HIV infection. That would be negligence and medical malpractice.

In the US, a hospital that had been performing colonoscopies notified a couple of hundred patients that sterilization techniques were improper, and that the patients might have been exposed to AIDS and/or hepatitis. That's because in a colonoscopy they re-use the same devices, from one patient to another, and a real sterilization is impossible, I read. So they simply should never have done the procedure on any patient that had HIV or that had hepatitis.

If such a mistake could happen here in the US, I can believe that other mistakes could also happen in third world countries.

What is the tale that the Palestinian doctor can tell about how the HIV spread? It might be a lesson that could benefit other doctors. Something was admittedly done wrong, if the doctor admits that there was negligence.

69 EE  Fri, Aug 10, 2007 8:51:08pm

Apparently in Libya, actual or suspected medical malpractice is punished by 8 years of torture, in order to get a confession that the malpractice was carried out deliberately. And there are also threats against the families of those who are accused of medical malpractice, to get the desired confession of malice.

70 baconeatingkaffir  Sat, Aug 11, 2007 2:59:33am

I thought Khadaffi duck decided to skimp on the money and buy some unchecked blood from unnamed European sources? Torture by the allah loving members of the religion of piss? You have to be joking! They were just following standard operating procedure. Why the hell have we normalized relations with these ingrates? They need to see the wrath of Reagan again. Khadaffi's son? A chip off the old blockhead if you ask me. T


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