Resolved: The execution of Muammar Gaddafi by rebel forces was justified without a fair trial

I will have 3 main contentions: C1: Everybody has a right to a fair trial C2: The rebels were fighting for democracy C3: No purpose in killing Gaddafi C1: Everybody has a right to a fair trial According to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1): “Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him. ” The message of this right is very clear. Everybody, no matter how horrible his or her crimes are, has a right to a fair trial. Libya is one of the member nations of the UN. Therefore, it should abide by the same international doctrine that the United Nations has proposed for the rest of the world and its affiliated members. In case the United Nations is not a good source, lets take the Libyan Constitution (2). Moammar Gaddafi had lived in Libya all throughout his life, and therefore should be a subject to the Constitution. Under Article 15 of the Libyan Constitution, it clearly states: “Everyone charged with an offence shall be presumed to be innocent until proved guilty according to law in a trial at which he has the guarantees necessary for his defense. ” Gaddafi being a citizen of Libya deserved this right, which was never given to him. The definition for “Justified”, which my opponent accepted as “Acceptable by international doctrine” clearly shows that Gadaffi was not treated by the status quo of the international doctrine of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Universal rights means that everybody should have access to those rights. C2: The rebels were fighting for democracy The rebels of Libya were fighting for a democratic country. One of the key principles of all democratic countries is the right to life except with accordance of justice and a right to a fair trial. The rebels wanted to overthrow Gadaffi’s violent regime and replace it with a fair and democratic country. But while doing this, they violated those two key principles and rights. They executed a person without giving him a trial. This creates an oxymoron in the rebels of Libya. These people were also fighting for basic human rights, which Gadaffi did not provide them with. And while doing this, they violated the single most important universal human right: the right to life without any sort of fair justice. In essence, they were as bad as Gadaffi himself. They wanted a new country, a new leader, and a new system. However, they imposed a massive double standard on the rest of the country, wanting everybody to abide by their rules, but violating them themselves. C3: No purpose in killing Gadaffi I ask one simple important question to my opponent: What was the purpose in killing Gadaffi? There was absolutely no purpose in killing him. 1. If the rebels wanted infamy for him, then the best way of action would be for him to be convicted in front of an international tribunal. The whole world would know specifically of his actions. However, now, he is still shrouded in mystery and many of his horrific actions have not been revealed. 2. I understand that the rebels were mad at him and wanted him to go, but that doesn’t mean that it was justified to kill him. This brings me to my bully metaphor: If a bully on the playground pushes you, is it justified to push him back, especially if the justification will be later decided by teachers? This is exactly the Gadaffi situation. Gadaffi hurt the rebels, but that doesn’t mean that it is justified to hurt him back. The teachers are the international tribunal. They would, ideally, punish both people for their actions. Simply because somebody is an instigator, does not justify his actions to be reversed onto him. ConclusionIn conclusion, I have shown that the murder of Gadaffi was not justified by international doctorine. The rebels contradicted themselves by murdering Gadaffi and there was no purpose in killing Gadaffi. (1) . http://www.un.org... (2) . http://en.wikipedia.org...(1951)