It’s stil unclear how, exactly, Muammar Qaddafi died. He was clearly captured alive, as these choppy (and bloody, and unsettling you’ve been warned) cell-phone videos prove. It seems likely that sometime after this footage was shot, Qaddafi was executed by his rebel captors. One official in the Libyan government, speaking anonymously to Reuters, said, “They beat him very harshly and then they killed him. This is a war.” The United Nations, the United States, and Amnesty International have called for an investigation, but we’re not sure whether anyone is really going to make a fuss about the human rights of a despised tyrant. Meanwhile, Qaddafi’s body has yet to be buried because of disputes over where and how to do it. In his hometown of Sirte? In a secret location? In the ocean, à la Osama bin Laden? Until they make a decision, Qaddafi’s mangled, half-naked body will continue to reside on a mattress in a cold meat locker.
