BBC Panorama (1953) s59e13 Episode Script

is all from the programme.
Next, Tonight on Panorama, as Britain and Tonight on Panorama, as Britain and Tonight on Panorama, as Britain and On Friday, we took over its allies take on Gaddafi, never seen before of systematic murder by his regime of its own people.
It happened in the British Forces are now trying protect.
We've evidence of Gaddafi's men firing at unarmed protesters.
We need to take him out because he We need to take him out because he starts killing our people.
We tracked down one of Gaddafi's sons, accused of ordering the shooting.
Somebody must have given orders for the soldiers to shoot at some stage.
the soldiers to shoot at some stage.
We have been to visit Gaddafi's We have been to visit Gaddafi's torture chambers and seen the horrors his regime has been inflicting when the world wasn't watching.
TRANSLATION: Burning with fire, hanging, ripping out fingernails with pliers.
As Britain gets drawn deeper into the conflict, Panorama reveals the murderous truth about the man the West had brought in from the cold.
This is what freedom felt like two This is what freedom felt like two weeks ago in Benghazi, where the Libyan rebellion began, and where they thought they would roll their revolution across the rest of the country.
There's a real outpouring of excitement here.
You can really understand it.
This first taste of freedom for 42 years and they are really fizzing with it.
A city fired up with revolutionary A city fired up with revolutionary zeal.
Among them, Ibrahim and Ali, young professionals one day; freedom TRANSLATION: All I want is for us to TRANSLATION: All I want is for us to TRANSLATION: All I want is for us to lead a free and happy life.
lead a free and happy life.
lead a free and happy life.
TRANSLATION: All I want TRANSLATION: We would like a developed country, different from what we had before, one which gets better and better.
These are people Britain and its allies have agreed to defend, who our forces are risking their lives for, backed by an UN resolution which allows all measures necessary, short of sending Gaddafi's forces were shelling the Gaddafi's forces were shelling the city right up to the western air assault and despite claims of ceasefire.
This is how he tried to persuade his own people to surrender in Benghazi.
.
I travelled to Benghazi, to meet I travelled to Benghazi, to meet some of those who had started the uprising.
It's Libya's second largest city, historically a place quietly hostile to the regime and where Gaddafi had put down protests before in a bloody fashion.
It's not by popular support he has become the world's longest serving dictator, it's through terror.
I wanted to investigate allegations his men systematically killed their own people in Benghazi a month ago.
Ali and Ibrahim agreed to be my So go on, where were the soldiers? So go on, where were the soldiers? So go on, where were the soldiers? Ali and Ibrahim Soldiers was here, in this location.
And the heavy guns there, OK? Antiaircraft? Yes, yes, the big one, all right? What started last month wasn't supposed to be a revolution.
It began as a human rights protest over the massacre of political prisoners from Benghazi 15 years before.
But it escalated when the authorities launched a violent crackdown.
At the same time, Ali and Ibrahim At the same time, Ali and Ibrahim along with thousands of others were planning to get involved in another protest, a Day of Rage, encouraged by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
TRANSLATION: We are an oil rich TRANSLATION: We are an oil rich nation but we remain a Third World country.
We decided to start the uprising on the 17th.
We just wanted change and modernisation but the main aim was to get phased out.
main aim was to get phased change and modernisation but the main aim was to change and modernisation but the main aim was change and modernisation but the main aim was to change and modernisation but the main aim was to get main aim was to get Gaddafi out.
On 17th February, Ali and Ibrahim joined thousands of protesters as they moved across the main bridge in Benghazi.
It was passionate, but peaceful.
The protesters were Then, among them appeared strangers Then, among them appeared strangers wearing yellow helmets.
They were thought to be mercenaries and hired thugs, armed; some with sticks, others with guns.
SHOUTING .
Abdul was one of the first Abdul was one of the first Then the shooting protesters injured, a medical student shot in the chest with a tear gas cartridge.
His chances of survival are slim.
A doctor treating him was also on the protest.
TRANSLATION: The demonstrators were TRANSLATION: The demonstrators were harmless and unarmed.
They were barbarically attacked by troops loyal to Gaddafi.
We wouldn't have seen anything of the violent crackdown, if it hadn't been for the doctor, Ibrahim and Ali and others out filming.
Dr Ahmed recorded some of the most dramatic footage.
Someone was shot in the face just feet away from him.
TRANSLATION: I tried to give him TRANSLATION: I tried to give him first-aid.
I was covered in blood.
At this moment I was upset.
I started shouting that we needed to take revenge.
the protesters erupted.
Still the protesters erupted.
Still unarmed, they faced yellow hats, police, army and security units, picking off people randomly shooting at them.
GUNFIRE SHOUTING Translate.
They were shooting at Translate.
They were shooting at us, operating a shoot to kill policy.
They were firing straight towards us at all times, aiming our chests and heads to terrorise us and stop the protesters returning.
But the killing didn't deter crowd.
It actually inflamed them and drew more protesters out onto streets.
After, a lot of people have killed, so at that moment we want to go out and fight with them because a lot of our friends have Mass funerals began.
Coffins were Mass funerals began.
Coffins were paraded among the protesters.
Mourners passed by the city's military barracks in a show defiance.
The soldiers responded by shooting The soldiers responded by shooting Some began throwing into the unarmed crowd.
Ali and Ibrahim were there, filming as came under fire.
Goodness me, that one was close.
Goodness me, that one was close.
Were you scared? A little bit.
little bit, yes.
But when I saw friends, people died, I didn't scare, I just go.
Over the next three days the killing continued and the protests swelled.
At some point the soldiers opened At some point the soldiers opened fire using heavy weapons against the people, even anti--aircraft guns.
There are images of men sliced in half, too graphic to show.
At Dr Ahmed's hospital medical staff At Dr Ahmed's hospital medical staff At Dr Ahmed's hospital medical staff applauded the casualties.
This was applauded the casualties.
This was applauded the casualties.
This was At Dr Ahmed's no longer just a protest, they The 17th was a day for young people The 17th was a day for young people to speak out and express themselves, a nation oppressed for 40 years, The military barracks known as the The military barracks known as the Katiba was the centre of Gaddafi's power in the city.
A walled compound the size of a village with an arms depot, living quarters and a house for Gaddafi's family.
Locals had been flocking to see what was once hidden behind its walls.
peaceful now, but just days before it was the scene of an epic battle for control of Benghazi.
For Ali and Ibrahim, their future For Ali and Ibrahim, their future rested on the defeat of the military barracks.
They explained what happened as the crowds tried to breach the walls.
We were a lot of people, hundreds, more than them.
You are all standing over there but you have no weapons? We have benzene, you know gas, we put it in the bottle and fire it and just we threw it here.
If we explode the Katiba it means we will liberate Benghazi.
Some soldiers and police were Some soldiers and police were switching sides.
These were critical moments.
Protesters commandeered bulldozers and rammed the compound walls but had to retreat under heavy GUNFIRE.
The final push was on the GUNFIRE.
The final push was on the night of February 20th.
A number of protesters had acquired guns, but thousands hadn't.
Some hurled makeshift grenades, gun powder stuffed into tin cans.
You can see round after round being shot TRANSLATION: It was dark.
There were TRANSLATION: It was dark.
There were about 70 of us together.
When were firing near us my friend After delivering him to hospital, After delivering him to hospital, Ali returned to the fighting.
It was a suicide bomber who finally breached the walls and the protesters flooded in.
TRANSLATION: We felt victorious and TRANSLATION: We felt victorious and TRANSLATION: We felt victorious and happy.
Everyone was congratulating happy.
Everyone was congratulating happy.
Everyone was congratulating TRANSLATION: We felt each other and singing.
It was at that moment we received a phone call with the dreaded news that our friend had died.
Honestly, all of a sudden it was a weird feeling.
Emotionally we were turned degrees.
Inside soldiers discarded their Inside soldiers discarded their uniforms.
Some joined the protesters; others fled.
In the end 237 people were dead.
Ibrahim finally returned home to tell his father Benghazi was liberated.
I saw my dad's tears from happiness, you know, because we take Gaddafi from Benghazi.
He told me: son, you will live in good life, whatever you want.
After victory in Benghazi, swept After victory in Benghazi, swept along with the taste of freedom, they started pushing the revolution westwards towards the capital.
People in towns across the country started to join the rebels.
It was a rolling front and it seemed What's interesting about these What's interesting about these people is that they are not trained soldiers.
These people are professionals, some of them are engineers and doctors and accountants.
It's a kind of citizens' army.
There was little organisation.
They There was little organisation.
They were running on passion alone.
As evening fell, Dr Ahmed arrived at the front.
Earlier, he had been treating casualties at the hospital.
Now he was preparing to fight Gaddafi's men.
They still believed they could take A moment's training and the recruits A moment's training and the recruits A moment's training and the recruits were throwing themselves to the were throwing themselves to the They still believed front.
But without the help of the West, they couldn't compete with Gaddafi's well-equipped army.
The momentum was slowing.
They began losing ground.
But would the the world really be prepared to intervene to help the rebels? Gaddafi had struck lucrative oil Gaddafi had struck lucrative oil deals with the West after reinventing himself as a harmless cartoon dictator.
World leaders had rushed to meet him.
Did Libya's oil blind them to the way Gaddafi was treating his own people? Now the curtain has been lifted in Benghazi.
For the first time, we got access the place where some of the secrets of his human rights abuses hidden.
The Benghazi headquarters of internal security, the police.
Only its hated officers people suspected of ever seen inside it, until now.
Dr Ahmed knows better than most what went on here.
TRANSLATION: This is the most frightening place in the city of Benghazi, or even Libya.
The secret police were everywhere, in hospitals, schools, universities every work place.
The secret police fled for their lives during the fighting fighting.
Dr Ahmed was one first inside.
He filmed himself as he raced through the building.
Any symbols of the regime were torn He showed me along the corridors He showed me along the corridors where days earlier they had rushed from room to room, searching for files to relatives and had been targeted.
Some were kept, TRANSLATION: When this building was TRANSLATION: When this building was burnt down and all the secret police disappeared, the nightmare came to an end.
Nobody will track anymore.
Look at all this, it's debris from a Look at all this, it's debris from a police state.
Filing Cabinets full of information about people's political affiliations, their religious beliefs, personal information, and it's all, of course, used to intimidate and inject fear into the population and ultimately to control This is where people picked up by This is where people picked up by the secret police were taken.
The detention block.
Not for conventional criminals, but Not for conventional criminals, but for those suspected of dissent.
Dr Ahmed was here simply for having no ID when stopped late one night.
TRANSLATION: I spent hours here but it felt like years.
Imagine the feelings of those who actually were in here for years, cut off from the outside world and unable to talk to anyone.
These are heavy duty cell doors and on the inside of each of them they have been covered with graffiti, people's names and dates they were here, and somebody here has drawn a kind of makeshift calendar and ticked off each of the days that they have served.
Then over on this one here it just says "I miss you, Mum".
Some former detainees had summoned Some former detainees had summoned up the courage to explore inside.
One man was here, showing his mother where he had been during the time was missing.
He wanted her out of earshot before he described had been treated.
TRANSLATION: They used many brutal TRANSLATION: They used many brutal types of torture I couldn't begin to describe.
From burning with fire, hanging, ripping out fingernails with pliers.
I even have scars on my I came across this man searching for I came across this man searching for evidence.
His son was brought here 16 years ago.
Since then, silence.
Just a photo in the book of the disappeared.
Alongside hundreds of Translate.
I haven't seen him since Translate.
I haven't seen him since the night of September 1st 1995.
What did you think had happened to your son? TRANSLATION: I haven't seen him in a long time.
I don't think he will come back.
Only knows where he is.
I hope and pray to God that he will come home.
thousands of people have been killed during Gaddafi's rule after being picked up by the regime's As the city surrendered its secrets, As the city surrendered its secrets, I began to get a fuller picture of what happened here in the streets I've seen people here with gunshot I've seen people here with gunshot wounds and shrapnel injuries, even some images of people who were shot at by troops using antiaircraft guns.
The question now for investigators will be who gave the orders for these soldiers to shoot at their own people because, international law, that could be The man in charge of Benghazi, the The man in charge of Benghazi, the Commandant of the city, was one of Gaddafi's own sons.
We are in Venice for the Film Festival at Gaddafi's party, the biggest party! Saadi Gaddafi is well-known on the international party circuit.
also captain of the Libyan international football team and played professionally in Italy.
We now know he flew to Benghazi to charge as the unrest began.
We know he stayed inside the military barracks, the Katiba.
We know during the massacre he fled back to Tripoli, but what was his role it? We contacted several soldiers who We contacted several soldiers who had been inside the military barracks with Saadi Gaddafi.
Most were too scared to speak in case the regime swept back into town.
But one was so impassioned, he did agree talk.
He was a soldier in Gaddafi's Report did you see Saadi Gaddafi, Report did you see Saadi Gaddafi, Gaddafi's son, coming to the Katiba? TRANSLATION: Yes.
REPORTER: Did he give the order to shoot? He didn't give the order that day to shoot.
said give them one more day and then if nothing changes, fire on them.
Where did he say it and who to? said it at the main gate the management office are army guards.
When he came out the management office, we gathered around him, with officers and Gaddafi family members.
We created circle around him with him in the middle.
I heard Saadi Gaddafi with my own ears, I swear to God.
I headed for the capital, Tripoli.
I headed for the capital, Tripoli.
I headed for the capital, Tripoli.
When we arrived, Colonel Gaddafi had When we arrived, Colonel Gaddafi had When we arrived, Colonel Gaddafi had I headed for the been consolidating his power in a bloody clampdown.
Unlike Benghazi, people here were too scared to speak openly.
We were told suspected dissenters had been dragged their homes and some of them killed.
There had been pockets of resistance, but they had been swiftly put down.
And the media targeted.
This is part of the clampdown, people in plain clothes come in and tell you you have to get out of the area and then they sort of scatter but arrested some of my colleagues they have tortured some of my colleagues so when they come and they tell you to get in the there's not a lot of choice.
There had been pro-Gaddafi rallies There had been pro-Gaddafi rallies around town, people convinced the rebellion was driven by Al-Qaeda.
That's what the Libyan leader was telling them.
Some were passionate supporters of Gaddafi; others simply rejecting unrest and the We wanted to find Saadi.
Meetings We wanted to find Saadi.
Meetings were set up and then cancelled.
would be his first interview with western television during the crisis and it would be difficult to question him closely during such a crackdown.
Finally, after five we had a call inviting us to meet him at the zoo.
Saadi owns all these lions but Saadi owns all these lions but Saadi owns all these lions but there's one he is particularly fond there's one he is particularly fond there's one he is particularly fond Saadi owns all of which is in the cage just over there, but he is very keen wildlife.
It was two weeks after he had fled It was two weeks after he had fled Benghazi, and I wanted to challenge him about his role during the violence which was led from the headquarters of the You have a special relationship, You have a special relationship, don't you, with Benghazi, you are Commandant, aren't you? My father sent me at the beginning of the crisis, sent me to go to with the people there, to see what their demands are and then they start attacking the Katiba and police stations, and then they the weapons, so then I have to leave, you know, because it's very unsafe.
Who were these people who were attacking the Katiba? The fundamentals.
Did you go to the Katiba as well? I understand you were there for a while? Yes, because we have a house there.
And did you address the soldiers at all? No, it's not my job.
Somebody must have given orders for soldier to say shoot at some stage? When those guys came with the weapons, they want to attack the Katiba, they were going to get in and they would kill the soldiers so to defend.
But they haven't got any weapons, these protesters, at that point, have they? They are just shouting and making a lot of noise and throwing stones? No, no, they have weapons.
There are shootings.
Yes, it was extremely dangerous, situation in Benghazi.
But testimony from inside Benghazi's military barracks firmly implicates Saadi When Saadi Gaddafi said this to you When Saadi Gaddafi said this to you and your colleagues, how did you react? Did you say yes, we will do it, or did people say: no, no, this is a bad thing? TRANSLATION: The response was everybody started cheering.
I am not saying army did that, but the ones surrounding him.
Most of them belonged to the Gaddafi family and their supporters.
What we uncovered in Benghazi will be of interest to the International Criminal the ICC.
It's already the Gaddafi family for crimes against humanity.
It has identified events in Benghazi as being special interest.
It will know who was in charge, who had For now, Saadi, like his father, For now, Saadi, like his father, How do you see the future of Libya How do you see the future of Libya For now, Saadi, now? How would you like it resolve itself? I think we will be more united.
We never been divided before and this is the first time, and as soon as we saw all the problems, all these issues, we will be happy and never divided again.
This is a very hard lesson.
Yes, it is, because there have been a lot of deaths, haven't there? A lot people have been killed.
think you are going to win back Benghazi? It's the second biggest city and there's a lot of people there determined not to come back into your father's rule.
There's many ways, but I think the priority now for the Libyan people and for the government is to restore the security to Benghazi.
Those gangs, those mobs with the weapons, we don't want to see them in Libya anymore.
We can no longer through to Benghazi and the people featured in this programme like Ahmed.
Without the intervention of the West, Gaddafi's troops almost certainly have taken the city, crushing any resistance.
If the West backs down now, Gaddafi will show no mercy to the people of Benghazi.
So we are stuck, involved in a conflict unlikely to end until