via Globalpost
Five women who were part of Muammar Gaddafi’s elite team of female bodyguards have claimed they were raped by the deposed Libyan leader.
According to the Sunday Times of Malta, the former bodyguards told a Benghazi-based psychologist that they were raped and abused by Gaddafi and his sons, before being tossed aside once the men became “bored” with them.
The details are reportedly being collected by psychologist Seham Sergewa for possible use by the International Criminal Court, which has issued a warrant for the arrest of Gaddafi and his top associates, including son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, for suspected war crimes.
One of the women reportedly said she was blackmailed into joiningGaddafi’s female bodyguard unit after the regime fabricated a story that her brother was caught smuggling drugs into Libya, and he would be imprisoned unless she agreed to join the brigade.
“A pattern emerged in the stories,” the Sunday Times of Malta says. “The women would be first raped by the dictator and then passed on, like used objects, to one of his sons and eventually to high-ranking officials for more abuse before eventually being let go.”
The psychologist, Dr. Sergewa, has also been investigating claims of systematic rape said to have been committed by pro-Gaddafi soldiers during the conflict.
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Article courtesy globalpost.com
