Libya court sentences 45 to death over killings in 2011

BENGHAZI, Libya – A Libyan court has sentenced 45 people to death by firing squad over killings during the 2011 uprising that evolved into civil war.

The conflict toppled and later killing the country’s longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Wednesday’s statement by the Justice Ministry says another 54 suspects in the case were sentenced to five years in prison while 22 people were acquitted.

The case dates back to August 2011 when Gadhafi’s supporters and opponents clashed in the capital, Tripoli.

The ministry’s media office says the defendants have been held in custody since 2011. The verdicts were handed down in the presence of the defendants’ lawyers and families but the defendants were not in the courtroom.

Libya descended into chaos after 2011 and is now split between rival governments, each backed by militias.