Libyan People's Court

Judges of the People’s Court, including Bashir Houadi (second from left), the Chief Judge.

The Libyan People's Court is an emergency tribunal founded in Libya after the "revolution" of 1 September 1969. Although its initial purpose was to try the officials of the overthrown Kingdom, many others also were trialed by this court. This article discusses only the trial of officials of the Kingdom.

Historical background

The Court

  1. Fabricating the election's results.
  2. Corruption of the royal palaces and the attendants.
  3. Corrupting the public opinion.
  4. Repressing the popular movements.
  5. Corrupting the political life.

The Verdicts

Most of the verdicts were declared in 1971. Some were declared in 1972. Because of the large number of defendants, only a selection of important and high-ranking officials are shown here.[8]

  1. King Idris I of Libya: death (in absentia).
  2. Queen Fatima Ahmed Sharif es Senussi (in absentia): five years in prison and seizing her property.
  3. Crown Prince Hasan as-Senussi: three years in prison.
  4. Ahmed al-Senussi: death (later commuted and released in 2001)
  5. Idris Ahmed Busaif: seven years in prison.
  6. Omar Ibrahim El Shalhi: life-time prison (in absentia) and seizing his property.
  7. Abdel Aziz El Shalhi: seven years in prison.
  8. Wanis al-Qaddafi : two years in prison.
  9. Mustafa Ben Halim: fifteen years in prison (in absentia).
  10. Hussein Maziq : ten years in prison and 2000 LD fine.
  11. Abdul Hamid al-Bakkoush: four years in prison.
  12. Abdul Qadir al-Badri: four years in prison and 4000 LD fine.
  13. Sheikh Abdul Rahman El Qalhud: four years in prison and 4000 LD fine (prison’s penalty suspended).
  14. Kalifa Tillisi: four years in prison and 4000 LD fine (prison’s penalty suspended).
  15. Fadil Ben Zikri: four years in prison (penalty suspended for five years).
  16. Abdel Hamid Bek Derna: five years in prison and 700 LD fine.
  17. Es Senussi El Fazzani: three years in prison and 20,000 LD fine.

Aftermath

This was not the only emergency court formed by the revolutionary regime in Libya. Some civilians were tried by the “Special Military Court”. Respecting high officials of the Kingdom era, some of those sentenced were released in 1974, Like Hussein Maziq. Many prisoners (including many other opponents of Gaddafi’s regime) were released in March 1988. But some of them remained in prison until 2001, like Ahmed al-Senussi, who was released only after thirty-one years in prison.[9]

Notes

  1. el-Magariaf, "Libia men al Shar’iya ...", p.179
  2. Ben Halim, "Libia: Inbe'ath Omma..", p.435
  3. el-Magariaf, p.188
  4. el-Magariaf, p.182
  5. el-Magariaf, p.256 & Ar-Ra'ed Newspaper
  6. De Agostini, p.77
  7. el-Magariaf, pp.820-829
  8. el-Magariaf,pp.820-829, Ar-Ra'ed Newspaper, & Ath Thawra Newspaper
  9. ALKALEMA NEWSPAPER, Sep. 11, 2011, No.19, Mu'assasat al Kalema lil I'lam, P.9.

References

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