Libyan despot Muammar Gaddafi’s life ended in the same brutal way as that of many others killed by his repressive regime but his death at the hands of ordinary Libyans was “difficult to prevent”, according to an academic.

For many Libyans, still jubilant at the definitive end of a 42-year oppressive regime, the question of whether it was better for ColonelGaddafi to be caught dead or alive may be irrelevant but the circumstances surrounding his death have raised international concerns.

Amnesty International has called for an inquiry into the circumstances that led to his killing soon after he was captured alive by the interim government forces.

But anthropologist Ranier Fsadni, who lectures in contemporary Arab world studies at the University of Malta, said jailing Col Gaddafi would have complicated matters for the National Transitional Council at a time when they had to deal with considerable challenges.

Top officials of Libya’s interim government have repeatedly said they wanted to see Col Gaddafi face justice. This will not happen but Mr Fsadni doubts whether a trial would have served to bring about national reconciliation.

“I am fairly certain that Col Gaddafi in court would have been as defiant as Saddam Hussein and it is unlikely that the trial would have been an occasion of national catharsis,” Mr Fsadni said.

Trying Col Gaddafi in Libya would have raised distracting security concerns, he added, at a time when the NTC already had several security issues to focus on.

“The way Gaddafi’s cadaver was treated was not a gesture that will help the process of reconciliation.”- Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici

And handing Col Gaddafi over to the International Criminal Court would have been politically unacceptable in Libya, according to Mr Fsadni, if only because it would have taken years for him to be brought to trial.

Footage from mobile phone cameras and posted on the internet indicates Col Gaddafi was captured alive in a tunnel beneath a road where his convoy was attacked by Nato aircraft.

The images showed the despot dazed with a bloodied head pleading with his captors to spare his life as they manhandled him. Interim government fighters interviewed by foreign news channels said Col Gaddafi was then shot in the stomach area by a 9mm gun in what is believed to have been the fatal blow.

A bullet hole is visible on the left side of his head and in the centre of his chest, and dried blood streaks his arms and head, according to the Press Association.

Forensic expert Anthony Abela Medici, who reviewed the internet footage, said the death was “a lynching process” and if a 9mm gun was used to shoot Col Gaddafi in the stomach it would have certainly killed him. “A 9mm gun is a very powerful weapon and it would have been deadly.”

Col Gaddafi’s death at the hands of a mob may signal the start of a new chapter in Libya but Mr Fsadni believes some things are absolutely wrong irrespective of the consequences.

“Mob justice is one of them and one should not compromise on the principle of the irreducible dignity of the person, even when he is a murderous tyrant. I am aware that my view may seem capriciously removed from practical concerns but I don’t think it is at all.”

The feeling is shared by former Prime Minister and ex-Labour leader Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, who had close ties to Col Gaddafi and remained a sympathiser to the very end.

Col Gaddafi’s death evoked a sense of “sorrow and anger”, he said. “The way Gaddafi’s cadaver was treated was not a gesture that will help the process of reconciliation.”

Dr Mifsud Bonnici believes the NTC should have reconciled with Col Gaddafi and his supporters but his death will now complicate matters. “Reconciliation is a two-way process. It is not just a question of the victors forgiving the losers but also the losers accepting change. Gaddafi’s death disrupts this process.”

Displaying a hint of nostalgia for Col Gaddafi’s idea of “direct democracy” through popular committees, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said this political philosophy had died with the man.

Asked whether this was a good thing, he said it depended on how the change would be managed. “The signs for now are negative because there is still a lot of torture, theft and looting and the interim government is beset with political differences that have prevented it from forming a temporary government.”

For Libyan National Movement general secretary Muftah Lamlum, Libyans were looking forward to having Col Gaddafi tried in court to get an answer to their questions about the treatment of several people by the regime.

Mr Lamlum, who is in Misurata, was wanted by the Libyan regime and had been living in the UK for the past 41 years.

Even though the secrets harboured by the regime may have died with Col Gaddafi, Mr Lamlum does not believe capturing the tyrant alive would have made any difference to those in the NTC who were formerly officials of the ousted regime. A court trial may have revealed embarrassing information about many people who were close to the regime.

“None of the present NTC members will be part of the political game in Libya and although they are in charge now, they won’t be taking part in the parliamentary and presidency elections,” he said.

Col Gaddafi’s assassination could be symbolic of the uncertainty facing the new democratic process in Libya but his death could just be a blip in the wider picture that sees Libyans crafting out a democracy in a country where political parties did not exist.

Irrespective of Col Gaddafi’s fate, Mr Lamlum is hopeful the new Libya would usher in a period of “tranquillity” not experienced in the Gaddafi era.

Additional reporting by Sarah Carabott.

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