Massacres in Tripoli: Interesting and Not

[Caustic Logic]

Some massacres in the Abu Salim area of Tripoli get running in-depth coverage of pretty much nothing. Consider the reported discovery of a the mass grave of 1,270 victims of the prison massacre from 1996. The actual evidence this ever happened is less than conclusive, but either way the evidence for a grave found is slimmer yet. Only tentative expert opinions have been offered yet, suggesting the scattered bones on the surface are't even human.

But another massacre nearby, at a hospital, in which at least 75 real humans had been slaughtered in late August 2011, just disappeared, and swiftly. The world media did report heavily on and from Abu Salim trauma hospital, on exactly August 26 and 27, noting the smell of five-day's decay and passing on the explanations rebels gave them. But no further news has been forthcoming, aside from the hospital's re-opening in mid-september after deeeep cleaning .

The only in-depth analysis of this is by me. I just made a video version too. Both are upsetting, bloody, and possibly NSFW.

With or without looking at those, can anyone tell me why they think this story of so little lasting interest to world leaders, the new Libyan government, human rights groups, and the mainstream media? Those who saw it called it among the most horrible things they'd ever seen anywhere. But no one seems to be following up.

The story we have so far is fuzzy and almost certainly untrue. Random local people shot by government snipers, then dying of neglect after the staff ran away "for fearof the snipers." That doesn't at all explain the blood and brains sprayed in the hallways, the doctor floating the canal, the Gaddafi soldiers executed in their beds, or the almost all black-skinned patients beheaded or throats cut open in their beds, coating the floor with gallons of blood. Or the apparent would-be refugees, yanked from cars, killed, and 20 of them dumped with clothing, bedding, and cardboard boxes behind the hospital. Again, all black.

So yeah ... thoughts?

 

[Aepervius]

Let us put it that way. There is quite a standard MO usually to bury the bad stuff your "own" camp did, and accentuate the bad stuff the "other" did. Whether it is the case here or not, I would not be surprised, but I can't tell either way, and frankly I have become in the mean time an old cynic...

 

[MG1962]

Caustic I am not sure what exactly you are arguing. You seem to be assuming that because the media didn't focus on the story, world leaders aren't aware or care about the situation.

Before we pass judgement on anybody I think we should allow the country to catch its breath hopefully form a stable government with strong institutions and see what happens then

Organisations like Amnesty International and th UN will focus on the incident and wait to see how the country reacts. Then you can start throwing allegations around

 

[Cuddles]

But another massacre nearby, at a hospital, in which at least 75 real humans had been slaughtered in late August 2011, just disappeared, and swiftly.

Because, quite simply, it's not news. It's a civil war. An estimated 30,000 people have died. Allegations of massacres and atrocities have been thrown around by both sides, and unfortunately many on both sides are likely to be true. A single incident in which a few people died just isn't hugely noteworthy. It was covered when it happened, and then the news moved on to the rest of the thousands of people being killed and displaced. Maybe it will be looked at in more detail once things have settled down a bit, but there just doesn't seem to be any pressing reason for the media to focus on this particular incident over any other.

The world media did report... on exactly August 26 and 27... But no further news has been forthcoming

Yeah, you may want to be a little careful of the word "exactly" there.
http://storyful.com/stories/1000007062
http://humanrightsinvestigations.org/2011/08/29/more-tripoli-atrocities/
http://fresh-ideas.org.uk/rushanara-ali-mp-abu-salim-shows-international-community-must-do
http://www.msf.org.uk/MSF_scales_up...i_amid_shocking_scenes_in_hospitals_2011.news
http://doctorswithoutborders.tumblr...hen-we-arrived-at-abu-salim-hospital-we-faced
It's not been constant front page news, for the reasons noted above, but it's certainly not disappeared as you claim.

With or without looking at those, can anyone tell me why they think this story of so little lasting interest to world leaders, the new Libyan government, human rights groups

Why don't you start by telling us why you think this is the case? It appears that you are confusing news reports with mind reading of government leaders.

 

[aggle-rithm]

If I were a brutal dictator, I would bury all my victims in seperate graves just to screw with the international media.

 

[Caustic Logic]

If I were a brutal dictator, I would bury all my victims in seperate graves just to screw with the international media.

That's good. I was awakened early byfire alarm testing that made it impossible to sleep for a time. It's over now,but since I'm up...

All these responses seem a bit benign in their reading, but Aepervius has it about right.

Let us put it that way. There is quite a standard MO usually to bury the bad stuff your "own" camp did, and accentuate the bad stuff the "other" did. Whether it is the case here or not, I would not be surprised, but I can't tell either way, and frankly I have become in the mean time an old cynic...

It's worth lingering over a bit, as this is a serious notion in a war based on allegations of human rights abuses we chose to make a big deal of. And this is a large, bloody, and particularly egregious manifestation of that notion. And the media isn't supposed to have a side, but just report the news, and sometimes follow up with investigation.

Cuddles: Yeah, I had originally mentioned a few stragglers on following days. Commentary, no new footage, interviews, investigations, etc. You linked to Human Rights Investigations, who don't fit my list of people who wouldn't want to follow up. That's a critical group(or guy actually, AFAIK -I e-mail him) that looks atthings like I do (A CTist I guess). And that article only mentioned the hospital by name anyway, erroneously describing a seperate medical tent by Bab al Aziziyah where rebels killed about a dozen other people, patients and medics. An even more ignored story.

Before we pass judgement on anybody I think we should allow the country to catch its breath hopefully form a stable government with strong institutions and see what happens then

Organisations like Amnesty International and th UN will focus on the incident and wait to see how the country reacts. Then you can start throwing allegations around

How long do you think anoy of this will take? They demand investigation and accountability when they think they can pin it on Gaddafi. When not, like here... we wait six months, or eight years, or so, and then if nothing we can complain? Evidence is being gathered for war crimes trials. The first journalist there, Andrew Simmons, says war crimes trials are needed for this. Any bets whether these will be put on Gaddafi's tab, some potential rebel tab, or just left hanging? I predict the first or last option, looking forward tothe absurdity of the first...

Look at it this way - this is one of the most horrible things yet, and it's not likely Gaddafi's work. The rebels we bombed into control of the country are using that control to round up black men of all types and loyalists, killing medical staff and patients in hospitals, slicing off heads (at least one, likely two or even more), and behave as if they have no accountability, barely even hiding it, pointing to their own bloody clues proudly even. AND this is no surprise - they've been about this abusive, racist, brutal, and arrogant the whole time, pinning obvious crimes of their own of Gaddafi, and leaving plenty clues we chose to ignore in an all out effort to make sure these monsters were put in charge of a whole country. On "human rights" grounds.