This is likely to be a very long post, and for that, I apologize. Again:
***
WARNING: This post contains some very graphic footage of people being injured and/or murdered. In regards to the videos, some are
NSFW and carry a
viewer discretion advisory.
I will post a separate warning before any such video.***
The Libyan protests, or as it's known now, the Libyan uprising, began on February 15th, when 500-600 demonstrators gathered in front of police headquarters in the Eastern city of Benghazi to protest the arrest of a local human rights activist. Police violently broke up the demonstration, injuring as many as 40 of the protesters. Protests continued in Benghazi on the 16th, and resulted in a number of vehicles being set afire, and local police using water cannons to disperse the crowds. In other cities in the area, hundreds of people turned out to demonstrate and many clashed with police. At the end of the day, six people were dead and three were injured.
Word quickly spread and the 17th was called a "Day of Revolt" by Libyans nationwide. Most of the nation's attention was still focused on Benghazi. The local government released 30 men from prison, armed them and paid them to kill protesters. Helicopter gunships also started circling overhead and firing on the crowds below. Authority was given, by the central government (Gadhafi), for police to fire live ammunition on the unarmed demonstrators. Evidence shows that .50 caliber rounds were fired into the crowd that day.
This is a .50 caliber round. It is roughly 5 inches long. As you can imagine, it's not something that can be fired from a pistol. Rather, it takes something like this:
These bullets are meant to take out armored vehicles, trucks, moving cars, helicopters, and targets behind structures. They're not intended for humans. When a .50 cal hits you directly, it isn't like being hit by any other bullet. You don't have a bullet wound. You're torn apart. You're practically shredded by the force and the velocity of the projectile hitting you. In other words, you'll be lucky if the coroner will be able to identify your body if you're hit with one. The streets of Benghazi were littered with .50 cal casings on the night of the 17th.
On the 18th, thousands of protesters gathered in Benghazi. Some of the local police and army decided to join the anti-Gadhafi demonstrators. The rest left their posts and abandoned the city. By the afternoon of the 19th, other cities in the East had joined in protesting against the central government. That evening, The New York Times conservatively estimated there were approximately 200 casualties at the hands of police or the military in Benghazi alone. Keep in mind, this was over the course of just 72 hours in a city with a population of 670,000. In 18 days of protests, Egypt, with a population of 80 million, had slightly over 300 casualties. At this point, the demonstrations had not gained momentum in the capital city of Tripoli.
The movement in Tripoli started off slowly. This may be partly due to the fact that by now, the government had already had the internet shut off nationwide for the better part of two days. It could also be because the government jams Al Jazeera's satellite signal, as well as the signal from Lebanese television from coming into the country. The 20th started with small protests gathering around Tripoli in the morning, and then, later a night, a massive and seemingly spontaneous demonstration erupted in the heart of the city. Demonstrators quickly overtook police.
Gadhafi's son, Saif, appeared on state run television. He gave what some called a "stream of consciousness" type of address to the Libyan people. It lasted nearly 40 minutes and many times made little to no sense. He blamed the protests on "drunks and drug users". He warned that the unrest would "lead to civil war", and warned that there would be "rivers of blood" if the protests continued.
The protests continued, and blood was spilled. Monday saw some of the worst violence yet against the Libyan people. Military aircraft fired live ammunition on the crowds gathered in Tripoli. When that didn't deter the protesters to the government's satisfaction, they started dropping bombs. That's right. They started bombing their own people. A
resident in Tripoli described the scene, saying,
"What we are witnessing today is unimaginable. Warplanes and helicopters are indiscriminately bombing one area after another. There are many, many dead," Adel Mohamed Saleh said. Saleh, who called himself a political activist, said the bombings had initially targeted a funeral procession. "Our people are dying. It is the policy of scorched earth." he said. "Every 20 minutes they are bombing." Asked if the attacks were still happening he said: "It is continuing, it is continuing. Anyone who moves, even if they are in their car they will hit you."
That afternoon, two air force pilots landed on a runway in Malta, requesting political asylum. They were given orders to bomb the demonstrators, but couldn't in good conscience.
They were regarded as "heroes" worldwide. Meanwhile, in Tripoli, soldiers that refused to fire upon demonstrators were being killed, on the spot, by their commanding officer. Reports coming out of the country state that they were either shot in the head or burned alive. The following videos show the aftermath of what happened to members of the Libyan army on February 21st, that refused to murder their fellow unarmed countrymen. I apologize if you may find the footage offensive, but it needs to be seen.
***Warning. The following videos include very graphic footage of murdered soldiers. Viewer discretion is advised***
As outlying cities fell, more and more senior military officials called upon their counterparts to stop the massacre in Tripoli. The country's top general and interior minister resigned, and called for the police and military to fight those standing with Gadhafi. An assassination attempt was made on his life, but he escaped. He has now been missing since the morning of the 22nd.
While Gadhafi was losing his army, he started to buy their replacements. He hired mercenaries, mostly from Chad, to kill the demonstrators that the military wouldn't. They were paid 5,000 Dinars (Approx. $4,050.00 US) each and some were offered new cars. In the last three days, pickup trucks full of armed foreign men have been speeding through the streets of Tripoli, firing automatic weapons at anyone that moved.
Libya's scenario is identical to that of Bahrain. About 96% of the country is Sunni Muslim. Gadhafi claims he is Muslim, but is not Sunni. This is genocide. There is no other way to explain it.
Why hasn't the world taken a firmer stand against Gadhafi and his regime? So far, the nations of the world have "condemned" his actions, but have gone no further than to basically say, "Hey, you shouldn't be doing that". It's very frustrating to watch these things happen and not see anything being done about it. Regrettably, nothing can be done about it at this time. There are currently over 100,000 foreign citizens in Libya trying to be evacuated as we speak. Turkey alone has 30,000 people that they are trying to get out of the country by Friday. The US has around 3,000 people that were to be on a ferry for Malta yesterday, but couldn't leave, due to bad weather.
So far, the police and military have only been firing on their own people. Foreigners have not been targeted. The nations of the world are afraid that if sanctions are put in place, or if threats are made against Gadhafi, he will turn on foreign citizens. If that happens, nations will have no choice but to protect their own people with force. There will be a multi-national war in the Middle East. That is the last thing that anyone wants. So, for the moment, we wait.
The last 24 hours have been quite newsworthy. First, Gadhafi went on national television, stating that, if he had to, he would have his loyalists go from "house to house" to kill protesters. In Benghazi yesterday, two ghastly discoveries were made. On the 22nd, locals found an underground room, where approximately 1500 area protesters had been buried alive since the 15th. They were rounded up by Benghazi police and taken to the underground location, locked in the room, without food or water, and buried. They were left there to die.
The next day, demonstrators found an underground prison with hundreds of political prisoners. No one in the city knew of it's existence. Some of the men there had been living below ground for years. They had either been arrested or had just mysteriously disappeared. As the hours go by, the people of Libya are becoming more and more familiar with how sick of a mind they are dealing with.
Rumors spread across Libya today that Gadhafi had been shot. Independent news sources have not been able to confirm the news, but oil prices dropped from $120 to $97 a barrel based solely on the rumor this afternoon. What is expected, though, is that if Gadhafi is still alive, he will make a blood soaked final stand in Tripoli in the coming days. Tripoli is the only major city yet to fall. The people will, in time, have their country back. But at what cost?
The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs estimated the body count at over 1,000. Yesterday, however, the ICC (International Criminal Court) estimated the casualties at 10,000, with 50,000 wounded. And it only looks like it's going to get worse before it gets better.
I don't believe in god, but in a time like this, I have to say, "May Allah be with the people of Libya".
