Gaddafi Dead: Rebels Did Not Shoot Dictator, Says UN Envoy
A U.N. envoy has said that Muammar Gaddafi was not shot by rebels but died of injuries suffered before he was captured.
On Wednesday, Libyan Deputy U.N. Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi told a 15-nation council that a Libyan government soldier didn't shoot Gaddafi and that the dictator died of injuries accrued before he was found, according to a Reuters report.
"According to the initial inquiries and information we have, Gaddafi was injured in the course of the clashes between his loyalists and the revolutionaries," Dabbashi said.
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The envoy also said that after Gaddafi’s capture "he was bleeding from his abdomen and head and he passed away on his arrival at hospital at Misrata."
The National Transitional Council (NTC) has formed an independent commission into the death and information found would be made public.
Over the weekend Dr. Othman El-Zentani conducted autopsies on Gaddafi, his son and top aid. He took DNA samples to confirm their identities. El-Zentani said that Gaddafi died of a shot to the head but said he would put out a complete report later in the week.
Dabbashi acknowledged that Gaddafi ruled the country with an iron fist but the U.N. would still investigate whether the former Libyan ruler's rights were violated.
"If we come across a breach of the rights of Gaddafi, or any other person, the perpetrators will be punished," he said.
The NTC will also be conducting investigations on numerous bodies found in Sirte, where Gaddafi was killed.
Over 250 bodies of Gaddafi supporters have been discovered since his death.
Muammar Gaddafi was killed in Sirte last Thursday after spending weeks on the run. Videos of his capture have surfaced and have gone viral.
Gaddafi was the de facto leader of Libya for 42 years after taking power in a military coup.
His body was buried in a secret desert location Tuesday after days on public display.
