[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here.]

Not much to say that hasn’t already been said, but it is still outrageous:

Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi’s security forces detained and beat up a BBC news team who were trying to reach the strife-torn western city of Zawiya.

Members of the three-man team were beaten with fists, knees and rifles, hooded and subjected to mock executions by Libyan troops and secret police.

The three were detained on Monday and held for 21 hours, but have now flown out of Libya.

The UN Human Rights Commissioner says their treatment may amount to torture.

“For them to be targeted, detained and treated with such cruelty, which could amount to torture, is completely unacceptable and in serious violation of international law,” said High Commissioner Navi Pillay in a news release.

“If an international television crew can be subjected to this type of treatment,” she said, “it makes me extremely concerned about the treatment that is most likely being meted out to Libyan opponents of the regime who have fallen into the hands of the security services.”

(Source.) And you can watch a pretty harrowing interview with the reporters in question, here:

This regime cannot end quickly enough. And to the credit of the French, they have officially recognized the rebels as the real government of Libya. Good for them. I am not sure if that adds up to any real-world benefits, but morale matters too.

Ht: The Blaze.

[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]