The truth illusion and horror of Qaddafi's 40 year rule of Libya will undoubtedly be revealed once people are free to talk and Qaddafi's secret files are made public. Then all of these rabid Qaddafi defenders will truly be embarrassed. In fact this is already starting to happen as certain documents and videos from the sacked security office in Benghazi get out. Those recent exposures generated this excerpt from the Christian Science Monitor:



Among them are a video of the public execution of Sadiq Shwehdi in 1984 at the Benghazi basketball stadium. Shwehdi had studied in the US and met with Libyan exile groups critical of Qaddafi. When he came home to Benghazi in 1984, he was quickly arrested in a crackdown on political dissidents following a failed assassination attempt on Qaddafi.

A "revolutionary court" was assembled (the sole membership qualification being rabid fealty to Qaddafi), the stadium packed with jeering Qaddafi supporters and busloads of schoolchildren. The events that culminated in the murder of Shwehdi and others were beamed live on state television. In Benghazi, most of those old enough to remember have vivid memories of the horror of that day. Spreading that horror around was Qaddafi's point.

Though the video at The Guardian is better quality, I found this grainy old network news report on Shwehdi's execution far more interesting. It captures the way Qaddafi has used mob violence and state terror, while telling Shwehdi's story.

It is graphic in parts, so be warned (after the 2-minute mark, it shows the hanging of Shwehdi).

