US agents tortured Gaddafi opponents: Human Rights Watch

A new report by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) has revealed that the United Sates collaborated with the Libyan slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi in torturing his opponents.

According to the report, new accounts by former detainees have revealed cases of torture conducted by CIA agents on Gaddafi’s opponents.

At least five of the former detainees said they suffered “serious abuses” at a US-run detention center, including “water boarding and other water torture.”

Other abuses included being beaten and slammed into walls, being chained to walls for months, and being kept awake for long periods.

“Not only did the US deliver Gaddafi his enemies on a silver platter but it seems the CIA tortured many of them first,” said Laura Pitter, the author of the report.

Human Rights watch says the cooperation dates back to 2003. The new report further reveals the extent of cooperation between the Libyan and Western intelligence agencies.

“The scope of Bush administration abuse appears far broader than previously acknowledged and underscores the importance of opening up a full-scale inquiry into what happened,” Pitter added.

The report adds that the accounts of former detainees, the CIA documents found in Libya, and some declassified US government memos have shed new light on US detention practices under the Bush administration but also highlighted the vast amount of information that still remains secret.

Libya became the scene of anti-Gaddafi protests in mid-February 2011. The revolution witnessed intense confrontation between government troops and opposition fighters.

Gaddafi was killed by Libyan revolutionaries in his hometown of Sirte, located 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of the capital Tripoli, on October 20, 2011 eight months into the revolution that put an end to his 42-year-long dictatorship.