The United Nations Intervention in the Situation in Libya

By: Sara Jamal

The Arab Spring is a wave of pro-democracy protests and uprisings that took place in the Middle East and North Africa beginning in 2010 and 2011, challenging some of the region's entrenched authoritarian regimes. After the success of the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, the Arab spring spread to Libya, an oil-rich nation located in Northern Africa that has been under the leadership of Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi for 40 years. Demonstrations in Libya started out small; however, the situation profoundly changed when Muammar al-Qaddafi put down the protests with violence and the country broke out into civil war. As the situation elevated in significance, the international community intervened. The United Nations was justified in intervening in the situation in Libya because of the violation of basic human rights, the violent response to civilian demonstrations against Qaddafis government and the use of Qaddafi' superior military strength to fight against rebel forces.

During the Libyan Revolution, anti-government protestors and civilians were denied some of their basic human rights such as the right to freedom of expression; the rights to have a voice in ones own government and the right to not be subjected to any form of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment. The right to freedom of expression declares that every individual has the right to seek, obtain and communicate their opinions and ideas without restriction. As the protests began to erupt in Benghazi on the 15th of February, 2011, after a human rights activist was detained, President Muammar al-Qaddafi of Libya and his government tried to silence the protestors; however, this resulted in more protestors taking to the streets to express their opinions about the Qaddafi regime. The situation significantly escalated when Qaddafi forces started to violently suppress the demonstrators, in effect, violating the human right of freedom of expression. Another human right that was denied of the people is the freedom to have a voice in the government of his country. Muammar al-Qaddafi had been ruling Libya for just over four decades, ignoring the opinion and voice of his own people as he had oppressed two more revolutions before the most famous one in 2011 began. In addition, the right to not be subjected to any form of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment was also violated by Qaddafi. In pictures encountered by journalists in Zawiyah, of Qaddafis dead prisoners, the prisoners were shown naked or with minimal clothing with bound hands and scarred backs (Gastaldo). These pictures were discovered in a burnt-down police station in which one of the rooms was said to be used for executions, a worker there informed. These serious violations of humanitarian law are intolerable and as stated in the 'responsibility to protect rule' of the UN Security Council, the Security Council

may authorize military intervention as a last resort for various causes including serious violations of humanitarian law (Responsibility to Protect).

Another reason for the justification of the UN intervention is the response of the Qaddafi government to the civilian demonstrations was unacceptable. The government took to violence to quell protests commissioning snipers, artillery, helicopter gunships, warplanes, anti-aircraft weaponry, and warships. Security forces used firearms, including assault rifles and machine guns, as well as knives and they were even reported by Amnesty International to have targeted injured protestors and paramedics helping them. Many of the injured protestors were not given access to hospitals and ambulance services and the demonstrators were also banned from getting blood transfusions (Libya-Towards a bloody revolution). Security forces raged through hospitals executing injured protestors and taking off their oxygen masks, IV drips and other wires connecting the protestors to various monitors. Moreover, in the capital city there were death squads of Qaddafi loyalists who patrolled the streets shooting down the protestors and civilians who tried to touch or take away the dead bodies away (Chrisafis, Black).The protestors were also not allowed to meet. Soldiers who did not follow military commands were executed.

The most important reason for the UNs intervention in the situation in Libya was Qaddafis use of his superior military strength against rebel forces and protestors. During the Libyan civil war, Qaddafi used his Air force, ordering warplanes and attack helicopters on air strikes targeting protestors and civilians. These air strikes were reported to have been aimed at funeral processions and a group of protestors going toward an army base. After these initial air strikes, Qaddafi ordered more to suppress the protestors; however on February 21st, 2011, two Libyan officials serving in the Air force defected and flew their fighter jets to Malta instead of obeying Qaddafis command to bomb Benghazi. Following this defection there were many more with Libyan officials serving in the Air force who joined the revolution. After these air strikes on the protestors and fearing more attacks on civilians, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1973 and launched more than 120 US and British cruise missiles and four stealth bombers against the Libyan Air force and airfields (Libyan Air Force 19512011). This was just the beginning of the multiple other incidents that followed the intervention. The intervention contributed to the defeat of Qaddafis loyalist forces.

To conclude, there are three major factors that justify UN intervention in Libya. First, the declined respect for human rights, such as the right to freedom of expression: the rights to have a voice in ones own government and the right to not be subjected to any form of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment; second, the unacceptable violent response of Qaddafis government to the civilian demonstrations and third, Qaddafis use of his superior military strength against rebel forces and protestors. In the final analysis, the UN intervention in Libya contributing to the defeat of Qaddafis loyalist forces and Qaddafi himself was justified and successful.

Works Cited: Angelique Chrisafis, Ian Black. After the air raids, Gaddafi's death squads keep blood on Tripoli's streets. February 22, 2011 The Guardian. May 27, 2012 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/22/air-raids-gaddafi-tripoli>. Gastaldo, Evann. "In Libya, Photos Bear Witness to Gadhafi's Torture." Newser 6 April 2011. May 27, 2012 <http://www.newser.com/story/115751/libyaprotests-newly-discovered-photos-show-evidence-of-torture-by-moammar-gadhafisforces.html>. Libya - Towards a bloody revolution . February 21, 2011 International Federation for Human Rights. May 20, 2012 <http://www.fidh.org/Libya-Towards-a-bloody-revolution>. Libyan Air Force (19512011). April 27, 2012 Wikipedia. May 27, 2012 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libyan_Air_Force_%281951-2011%29#cite_note-13>. Libyan paramedics targeted by pro-Gaddafi forces. March 4, 2011 Amnesty International. May 21, 2012 <http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/libyan-paramedics-targeted-pro-gaddafiforces-2011-03-04>. "The Responsibility to Protect ." Department of Public Information. May 26, 2012 <http://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/pdf/bgresponsibility.pdf>.