East Africa Journal

2011-11-20T06:10:00.001-08:00

ZINTAN, Libya — Moammar Gadhafi's son and one-time heir apparent will be tried at home and will not be handed over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Libyan information minister said Sunday.

Mahmoud Shammam said Libya's National Transitional Council will discuss its decision with the ICC's chief prosecutor when he visits Libya on Monday. Seif al-Islam Gadhafi is wanted by the ICC on charges of crimes against humanity.

But Shammam told The Associated Press on Sunday that it would only be fair for Libyans to try Seif al-Islam at home where he "committed crimes against Libyan people."

Earlier, the revolutionary fighters who captured Seif al-Islam said they wanted to hold him in until a court system is established in Libya. They demanded that he be tried inside the country.

Seif al-Islam was seized in Libya's southern desert on Saturday by fighters from the western mountain town of Zintan, the base of former rebels who played a key role in seizing the capital Tripoli in August and toppling Gadhafi's regime. He was put into a plane and flown back to Zintan, 85 miles southwest of Tripoli, where he remains in a secret location.

The head of Zintan's military council, Col. Mohammed al-Khabash, said his fighters have no intention of turning Seif al-Islam over to the National Transitional Council in Tripoli, the interim government that took power after Gadhafi's ouster.

"Seif al-Islam is like any other local prisoner and we will keep him in Zintan until a court system is established and he must be tried in Libya," al-Khabash told the Associated Press.

Gadhafi's son, once being groomed to take over from his father who ruled Libya for 42 years, is wanted by the ICC for his role in violently suppressing the uprising against the regime that began in February.

NTC Justice Minister Mohammed al-Alagi claimed Saturday after Seif al-Islam was captured that he would be transported to Tripoli soon — an indication that he was expected to be handed over to NTC custody.

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo told the AP Saturday that he will travel to Libya next week for talks with the NTC on where the trial will take place. Ocampo said that while national governments have the first right to try their own citizens for war crimes, his primary goal was to ensure Seif al-Islam has a fair trial.

Interactive: Gadhafi's children (on this page)

The statement by the Zintan fighters raises new questions about how firm the NTC's authority is over the entire country and whether powerful regional factions with bands of armed fighters are able to act autonomously, even on issues of the highest national interest.

Gadhafi himself and another one of his sons, Muatassim, were captured alive last month by another strong regional group, the Misrata fighters, who also took part in the march on Tripoli that toppled the regime. By the end of the day they were seized on, they both ended up dead while still in the hands of Misrata fighters in circumstances that have yet to be explained. The Misrata fighters held onto their corpses and displayed them as trophies for days in a commercial refrigerator in their city, where people lined up to view the decomposing bodies.

Human Rights Watch has called for Seif al-Islam to be promptly turned over to the International Criminal Court in a statement, citing the apparent killings in custody of his father and brother, Muatassim, on Oct. 20 as "particular cause for concern."

Reuters TV / Reuters

Seif al-Islam, son of late former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, sits after his capture, with his fingers wrapped in bandages and his legs covered with a blanket, in this photograph which aired on Free Libya TV on Saturday.

Seif al-Islam's capture leaves only former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senoussi wanted by the ICC, which indicted the two men along with Gadhafi in June for unleashing a campaign of murder and torture to suppress the uprising against the Gadhafi regime that broke out in mid-February. Protests inspired by the so-called Arab Spring sweeping the region soon escalated into a civil war, with NATO launching airstrikes under a U.N.-mandate to protect civilians.

Slideshow: Conflict in Libya (on this page)

Photos and video clips showed Seif al-Islam wearing glasses and a beard, clothed in brown robes and a turban in the style of ethnic Tuaregs, a nomadic community that spans the desert border area of Niger, Mali, Libya, Algeria and Chad and long fought for his father's regime. In some, he was bundled onto an airplane that apparently carried him to Zintan.

'He looked tired' Seif al-Islam's captors told Reuters he was "very scared" when they first recognized him.

"He looked tired. He had been lost in the desert for many days," said Abdul al-Salaam al-Wahissi, a Zintan fighter involved in the operation. "I think he lost his guide."

It was a dramatic turnabout for Seif al-Islam, who is the oldest of seven children of Moammar and Safiya Gadhafi. He had one older half brother, Mohammed.

Slideshow: Moammar Gadhafi through the years (on this page)

He went underground after Tripoli fell to revolutionary forces in late August and was widely reported to have long been hiding in the besieged town of Bani Walid, issuing audio recordings to try to rally support for his father, but he escaped before it fell to revolutionary forces.

Word of the capture set off rejoicing in the streets of cities across the vast, oil-rich nation of just six million. Streets echoed with gunfire, from rifles but also the anti-aircraft cannon mounted on civilian pick-up trucks that became the abiding image of an eight-month civil war that ended with the ousted leader's death in his home town of Sirte.

"Finally we beat him, after all his pointing at us with his finger on television and threatening us," Waleed Fkainy, a militiaman on patrol in Tripoli, said of Seif al-Islam, whose image as a potential reformer of his father's eccentric one-man rule evaporated with his venomous response to the uprising.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

This Thanksgiving, make room at the inn

2011-11-19T22:26:00.001-08:00

By Harriet Baskas, msnbc.com contributor

As the holidays approach, you may be looking around the house wondering where everyone will bunk down this year. Or eyeing your suitcase and worrying if your creaky back will make it through another night on mom’s antique, fold-out couch.

The solution, in both cases, might be to break with tradition and book a room at the local inn.

Worried a friend or relative will be offended? Overhead Bin asked Anna Post of the Emily Post Institute and Jodi R.R. Smith of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting about gentle ways to break the news.

Q: During the holidays, is it OK to encourage relatives to get a hotel room in town rather than assume they’ll be staying with you?

A: “It can be a smart thing to know your limits,” said Post. “And if you’re not going to be in the position this holiday to graciously accommodate guests then it’s probably better not to have them. It’s better to be honest with yourself and let them know upfront that you need to do things differently this year to make it work for everybody.”

But don’t wait to share that news. Jodi Smith suggests using “preemptive etiquette” to let guests know there is no room at your inn. “There will be an added expense for the guest and it will have an impact on their travel budget,” said Smith, who offered some sample wording: “Suzy, I am so glad you, Bob and the kids are coming for the holidays. I know we have been able to host you here in the past, but this year we just can’t. I’ll email you a list of the nearby hotels so you can choose one which will work for you. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!”

Q: And what about telling friends or family that this year you'll be staying in town instead of camping out in their guest room?

A: “Again, this is something you need to let them know as soon as possible,” said Post. “Let them know you’re excited about seeing them but have made other plans for where you’re going to stay. Put the focus on the time you will be spending together.”

“The key here is to make it about them,” said Smith. “Even if there is no one else staying there, you want to make it about them. So you might say ‘We are so excited to see you and do not want to overextend our welcome. Plus, we will all enjoy the visit much more if we have some built-in down time … We look forward to seeing you soon!’”

“Don’t worry,” said Post. “It’s possible to be firm and gracious at the same time.”

Woman killed, 2 injured in Harvard-Yale tailgate crash

2011-11-19T22:16:00.001-08:00

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A driver of a U-Haul truck carrying beer kegs through a tailgating area before the Yale-Harvard game Saturday suddenly accelerated, fatally striking a 30-year-old Massachusetts woman and injuring two other women, police said.

It's not clear why the driver sped up, New Haven Police spokesman David Hartman said. The truck then crashed into other U-Haul vans in the lot, an open playing field used for pre-game tailgating parties before Yale home games in New Haven.

Tim Walker of Pawtucket, R.I., said he was grilling sirloin tips when he heard the crash behind him. He turned and saw two people lying on the ground.

People huddled around them trying to help, according to a video that appears to have been recorded shortly after the accident and posted online. "We're not getting a pulse," said someone crouched near one victim, while the cameraman notes the ambulance hasn't arrived.

"The driver looked shocked. Absolutely shocked," Walker said. Police have not said whether alcohol was a factor.After emergency officials arrived, Walker said, he saw one victim being given CPR as she was taken away.

"He didn't look intoxicated or anything like that," Walker added. "He had a dazed look like he had just hit someone."

Hartman said the driver was in police custody.

He said the woman who was killed was pronounced dead at about 10:15 a.m. at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Police did not immediately release her identity.

A second woman, which Yale said was a student at its School of Management, was listed in critical but stable condition at the hospital.

The third woman suffered minor injuries.

At the annual Yale-Harvard game, tailgating is nearly as storied as the competition itself. Elaborate buffets dot the parking lots, and fans frequently fill such U-Haul trucks with kegs, grills and hard alcohol.

Six years ago, Yale began shutting down all parties after halftime in an effort to curb binge drinking and keep students and alumni safe. Saturday, the university said it planned to review its policies and regulations on tailgating before games.

"The Yale community is deeply saddened by the tragic vehicle accident that occurred at a Yale Bowl parking lot this morning," the school said in statement.

"Yale extends our sympathies and prayers to the family of the woman who was killed and hopes for the speedy recovery of the two women hurt," the statement said. "Our thoughts are also with those who witnessed or were affected by this tragic accident."

The fans had gathered for the 128th game of the Ivy League rivalry, which Harvard won 45-7 for its fifth straight victory over Yale. Three hours after the accident, the loud tailgating continued in the lot, with music blaring from large speakers and fans grilling hot dogs, sausage and hamburgers. Some students danced on top of other rental trucks.

The accident scene was cordoned off by yellow police tape, and a dozen numbered evidence placards were on the ground. The three rental trucks involved in the accident were still at the scene, stacked one against another from the collision.

At halftime of the game, the public address announcer at Yale Bowl informed the crowd of the accident and the woman's death, noting that it had been confirmed by the New Haven Police. He asked spectators to stand and observe a moment of silence.