A set of draconian laws was enacted in the name of upholding security, further undermining the colonel’s claim to a champion of freedom from oppression and dictatorship. Legal penalties included collective punishment, death for anyone who spread theories aiming to change the constitution and life imprisonment for disseminating information that tarnished the country’s reputation. Tales abounded of torture, lengthy jail terms without a fair trial, executions and disappearances. Many of Libya’s most educated and qualified citizens chose exile, rather than pay lip service to the lunacy.
