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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Libya
Index
In 1971 a people's court was established to try members of the
former royal family, the prime ministers and other officials of the
monarchical regime, people accused of rigging elections in behalf
of that regime, and journalists and editors accused of corrupting
public opinion before the revolution. A member of the RCC presided
over the court, which also included one representative each from
the armed forces, the Islamic University, the Supreme Court, and
the police. Trials and retrials continued at least as late as 1975,
when former King Idris was sentenced to death in absentia. An
amnesty for some of those sentenced in 1971 was granted by the RCC
in 1976.
With matters pertaining to the former monarchical regime having
been resolved, it appeared that several people's courts were being
used in the late 1970s to try crimes against the postrevolutionary
state. In January 1977, a new people's court was formed to try
political detainees. The Decision on the Protection of the
Revolution, issued December 11, 1969, generally defined crimes
against the state as those involving attempted forcible overthrow
of the ruling regime or otherwise rallying opposition to it. Such
crimes may be referred to a people's court, but plots and
conspiracies against the state are usually referred to special
military courts created on an ad hoc basis for that purpose. The
military courts and the people's courts have been criticized for
violating the legal rights of defendants in political cases
(see Criminal Justice System
, ch. 5).
Data as of 1987
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