Sir, – So US President Barack Obama objects to showing footage of Gadafy’s summary execution without trial (World News, October 26th).
His objections to the broadcasts were, he said, out of respect for the dead. Interestingly, he did not seem to object to the execution itself. Perhaps because he ordered a similar one against Osama bin Laden only a few months previously? It’s a pity the most powerful man in the world does not have as much respect for the living as for the dead. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Denying the family and community of Muammar Gadafy the right to bury him and his son does the New Transitional Government of Libya poor service as a new democracy. Also of concern is the discovery of the bodies of 53 executed people, their hands tied their backs, in an abandoned hotel in Sirte that was under the control of rebel forces. This incident has gone largely unremarked except for Amnesty International.
Philip Hammond described the reputation of the new Libyan government as “a little bit stained” by the manner of Gadafy’s death. There is a serious risk that this stain could grow a lot larger unless the international community strongly condemns these practices. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – The Colonel is dead – long live Libya. The man who branded his opponents, rats – that same man finally fled for cover into a sewer pipe. Irony of ironies! – Yours, etc,