Friday 17 February 2012

1 LIBYAN IN 3 WANTS RETURN TO AUTHORITARIAN RULE

This title is rather misleading. The tone is patronizing and it would be very interesting to learn more about this poll/research ~ questions asked, who was asked, the wording of the questions, ages of those spoken to, etc. Polls, research and interpretations are very easily manipulated which seems to be the case here. And the author seems to be very pro new regime which says a fair bit. The interpretations are those of someone with an imperialist mindset who speaks of the Libyan people as if they are confused children.  There really is no definite accountability given to those who commit atrocities in Libya, or who did in the past. No reference to the black genocide at all.




By Alistair Dawber

The Independent

February 16, 2012 


Almost a year after the start of the Libyan uprising that led to the ousting and killing of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, new research suggests more than a third of its citizens would rather return to being ruled by a strongman than embrace democracy. 

 

Despite thousands of deaths in the revolt against Colonel Gaddafi's 40-year rule, fewer than a third of Libyans would welcome democracy, according to the study published by the Institute of Human Sciences, at the University of Oxford, and Oxford Research International.


Libya is traditionally a tribal society and there are concerns that the vacuum created by Colonel Gaddafi's removal in October could lead to clashes between the factions that toppled him. In recent weeks, medical and human-rights groups have complained that the situation in parts of country is getting out of control.

The deaths of 12 detainees who lost their lives after being tortured by the various militias running law and order in towns and cities across country are documented in an Amnesty International report released today.

The study follows last month's decision by Médecins sans Frontières to halt operations in Misrata after being asked by officials to treat prisoners midway through torture sessions, allowing authorities to abuse the victims again.

Still, the survey found 35 per cent would still like a strong leader in five years' time, although more than two-thirds wanted some say in future governance.

"Although there appears to be a push for an early election, the population seems to be happy with the National Transitional Council [NTC]," Christoph Sahm, director of Oxford Research International, said.

"Perhaps more significantly, Libyan people have not yet developed trust towards political parties, preferring a return of one-man rule. Yet they have also resoundingly said they want a say in how their country is run, which suggests Libyans who have had autocratic rule for decades lack the knowledge of how a democracy works and need more awareness of the alternatives to autocratic government."

While trust in the NTC will be welcomed by Western backers ~ 81 per cent of Libyans expressed faith in the new administration that helped defeat Colonel Gaddafi ~ 16 per cent said they were ready to resort to violence for political ends.

The figures are borne out by the Amnesty report, 'Militias threaten hopes for new Libya,' which points to evidence of war crimes being committed against Gaddafi loyalists. Its authors found that torture or ill-treatment was being perpetrated in 10 out of 11 detention centres they visited, with several prisoners saying they had offered false confessions to rape and other offences simply to end their ordeal.

The bodies of the 12 men who died were covered in bruises, wounds and cuts, Amnesty said, and some had fingernails and toenails pulled out.

"Militias in Libya are largely out of control and the blanket impunity they enjoy only encourages further abuses and perpetuates instability and insecurity," said Amnesty's Donatella Rovera.

""Militias with a record of abuse of detainees should simply not be allowed to hold anyone and all detainees should be immediately transferred to authorized detention facilities under the control of the National Transitional Council."

1 comment:

  1. Your observations are spot on Noor;

    nothing but the typical controlled media half-truth, i.e. lies, distortions, disinfo, agitprop, ...designed to form Western opinions to the masters' liking

    past time to hear direct from Libyans, and the more the better:

    why is it that for any peoples who read, write, speak English language as well as native speakers do (as my Libyan classmates did in English-speaking Grad School) they cannot have they say in the Western media and are almost always in need of a Western "expert" journalist (masters of agitprop) to tell the world what is happening with their own nation?

    why are they always kept silent by the "free", "democratic" Western press (rhetorical) ?

    enough of this, it's pure chutzpah of the lowest levels, and especially in the age of global and immediate communications

    and this: "The bodies of the 12 men who died were covered in bruises, wounds and cuts, Amnesty said, and some had fingernails and toenails pulled out."

    how many student protestors in UK or at G20 in Canada, OWS in u.s.of A were gassed, beaten, tortured, or those not in protests -literally !electrocuted! on the spot - with no judge, jury and trial (arrest procedures are out of control - and no different than tortures, not to mention the undercover "police" thugs instigating and doing actual violence);

    call in nato to bomb the capitols of these nations, call on the UN to condemn the "leadership" and declare sanctions on these nations,

    spread the word the Western media is racist and criminally negligent and will be held as guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity - by its refusal to report full truth and for refusal to allow all non-Westerners to speak for themselves

    demand they put up or shut up (or just shut them off)

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