Muammar Gaddafi's Son Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi Sentenced To Death By Libyan Court; UN, Lawyer Criticize Move

Update as of 7:14 a.m. EDT: The United Nations human rights office said Tuesday that it was "deeply disturbed" by a Libyan court's decision to hand the death sentence to former Libyan officials, including the son of ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi.

"We had closely monitored the detention and trial and found that international fair trial standards had failed to be met," the organization said, in a statement, according to Reuters.

The decision to sentence Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and eight others to death for war crimes was also condemned by the lawyer representing him before the International Criminal Court, who called it a "show trial."

"The trial has been declared illegal by Libya's own justice minister," British trial lawyer John Jones said, according to Reuters. Jones had pushed for Gaddafi to be tried before the international Hague-based court, where he would not face the death penalty.

"The whole thing is illegitimate from start to finish... It's judicially sanctioned execution," he added.

Original story:

A Libyan court on Tuesday sentenced the son of former ruler Muammar Gaddafi to death, along with eight other members of the former regime, for war crimes linked to the 2011 ouster of the late Gaddafi.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was on trial with 37 other former Libyan officials who were accused of committing war crimes during the events in 2011 that ended in the senior Gaddafi’s overthrow and death, 9news reported.

The late ruler’s son, who had testified over video link, was sentenced in his absence as he is still being held by armed fighters in the Libyan city of Zintan who refuse to recognize the Tripoli-based government under which he was tried.

The former rebel group that is holding Gaddafi has refused all requests to hand him over to Tripoli. He was captured in 2011 while trying to flee to neighboring Niger.

Also sentenced to death was former Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi, the senior Gaddafi’s brother-in-law. Senussi and Gaddafi are both wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Members of the ousted regime have been accused of crimes including illegal attacks against civilians in their homes and public places, the use of live ammunition against demonstrators, placing snipers outside mosques and firing heavy weapons at funeral processions.