DUSHANBE, October 24, 2011, Asia-Plus — The National Transitional Council (NTC) has declared the liberation of Libya, eight-months after the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi”s 42-year rule began.
Al-Jazeera reports that on Sunday October 23, thousands of people in Kish Square in Benghazi, Libya”s second city, sang the national anthem and waved flags, both of which date back to the monarchy which Gaddafi overthrew in a 1969 coup.
Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the leader of the NTC, kneeled in prayer after taking the stand in the celebration on Sunday and promised to uphold Islamic law.
In his speech on Sunday in Benghazi, Abdel Jalil urged Libyans to put civil conflict behind them for the sake of the country.
The BBC reports Mr. Abdel Jalil said the new Libya would take Islamic law as its foundation. Interest for bank loans would be capped, he said, and restrictions on the number of wives Libyan men could take would be lifted.
According to Al-Jazeera, Jalil told the crowd, “We as a Muslim nation have taken Islamic sharia as the source of legislation, therefore any law that contradicts the principles of Islam is legally nullified.”
The NTC leader thanked the Arab League, the United Nations, and the European Union for supporting the uprising which ended with Gaddafi”s death on Thursday.
Abdul Hafiz Ghoga, the council”s vice-chairman, said at the ceremony that Libya would uphold all international agreements and treaties. “The Libyan people, as they establish a state of law, firstly, assure the world of their respect for all Libya”s signed agreements according to international standards,” Ghoga said.
In the meantime, the bodies of 53 Gaddafi loyalists have reportedly been found at a hotel in the Libyan town of Sirte after apparently being executed, a human rights group says. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the victims – some of whom had their hands bound – died about a week ago.
It is the latest accusation of atrocities in Libya committed by both sides during the eight-month conflict.
Libya”s new rulers have denied any involvement in abuses and have urged Libyans to forego reprisal attacks.
The discovery comes a day after jubilant crowds across the country took to the streets as the interim government declared national liberation, three days after the death of Muammar Gaddafi.
NTC has come under pressure to investigate how the former leader died, following accusations he had been executed by NTC troops after his capture in Sirte.
The bodies were found on Sunday on the lawn of the abandoned Hotel Mahari in Sirte, which saw heavy fighting last week as NTC forces battled for control of the town.
“Some had their hands bound behind their backs when they were shot,” Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. “This requires the immediate attention of the Libyan authorities to investigate what happened and hold accountable those responsible.”
HRW also said the remains of 95 people had been found at the site where Gaddafi was captured. They appeared to have died that same day.
HRW, Amnesty International and other rights groups regularly document incidents of atrocities suspected of being carried out by pro- and anti-Gaddafi forces during the conflict. These include several mass killing sites found in August.
Thousands of people were killed or injured after the violent repression of protests against Gaddafi”s rule in February developed into a full-scale civil war. Gaddafi”s government was driven out of the capital, Tripoli, in August.
The BBC reports questions have been raised over the former leader”s death after video footage showed him alive at the time of capture on Thursday. Officials said he had been killed subsequently in a crossfire.
A post-mortem carried out on the former leader”s body on Sunday showed he had received a bullet wound to the head, medical sources said.
The NTC has begun moving its base from the eastern city of Benghazi to the capital, Tripoli. Elections are due to be held by June of next year, Libya”s acting Prime Minister, Mahmoud Jibril, said on Sunday. The new elected body, he added, would draft a constitution to be put to a referendum and form an interim government pending a presidential election.
