::::::::
PETER'S NEW YORK, Wednesday, August 31, 2011--Rebel forces seeking to oust Libyan leader Col. Muammar Qaddafi from power have demanded that fleeing members of Qaddafi's family, including his grandchildren, be returned for trial, according to an Associated Press report yesterday.
Two of Qaddafi's sons, his wife, daughter, and his daughter's infant child, who was born without medical assistance during the family's flight to Algeria, have been welcomed by the Algerian government, where they are currently under protection, AP reported.
"The whole party is now wanted by Libya's new rulers," wrote AP reporters Aomar Ouali and Greg Keller. "Libya's interim government criticized Algeria's decision to take in Gadhafi's fleeing wife and children, and demanded that Algiers hand them over for trial in Libya."
The entourage included Qaddafi's wife Safiya Qaddafi, Mrs. Qaddafi's daughter, Aisha, Mrs. Qaddafi's sons Hannibal and Mohammed, and their children, according to sources cited by AP.
As one of the children has just been born, the question remains whether the international community would support repatriation of such young offspring to a country under a rulership that intends to prosecute infants. However, considering the manner in which Libya has been pushed into a state of chaos under the cover of a humanitarian mission--the protection of the population from some mere threatening words of Qaddafi arbitrarily interpreted by NATO and the United Nations as an intent to wantonly murder civilians--NATO support for such a repatriation, either outright or covert, cannot be ruled out.
Rebels may hold out hope of trying the entire family in a manner similar to Saddam Hussein's conviction and execution by Iraqis who took power after Hussein's downfall.
NATO has been providing nonstop aerial bombing runs across heavily populated regions of the country, including the capital city, Tripoli, and Qaddafi's hometown of Sirte. The combination of bombing and rebel assaults have created a humanitarian crisis of major proportions, a startling but predictable turn of events for an action that was authorized by the United Nations in March on "humanitarian" grounds.
Weeks ago, NATO bombed a Qaddafi residence, killing a Qaddafi son and grandchildren, according to press reports.
###
