The Qawalish Tree Farm Massacre: Video Postings and Posters

August 18, 2011 
last edits Aug 24

Below are all the online versions and postings of a single (so far) video of the "Qala'a massacre," aka the Qawalish Tree Farm Massacre. To save space, I won't embed them, just provide links and relevant textual information. Translations, where relevant, are per Google Translate.

Tripoli News Revolution
Aug 5, 6:50 am or 3:26 am (time zone?)
https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=244892632208062
Posted by: طرابلس أخبار الثورة [trans: Tripoli News Revolution]
Desc:
فيديوا حصري لن تصدقوا :: شهداء مدنين في القلعة قتلتهم آلة القذافي المجرمة [trans: Vidioa exclusive will not believe: the martyrs of civilians killed in the castle machine Gaddafi criminal]

This is the apparent original posting, large-format and high quality. On the internet, this is the closest point to the murderers (whether friends or in the captivity of friends). Anyone wanting to study this crime will want to refer to this. I wish I could figure out a way that actually works to save a copy, in case they pull it.

Comments: Mostly, "there is no power but from God," or some variant, is what most comments translate to. The only one that seems to add information, which I don't understand, is this:

Ghazi Mokni عباس الطبولي هاااااااااااااااااااااام جداااااااااااااااااااااااااا
اتصال هاتفي ثوار الزهراء : اكبر مخازن وورشة لتركيب وتجهيز 14.5 في المنطقة الغربية في منطقة غوط ابوساق بالزهراء الشارع الترابي المقابل لرحبة السوق سابقا ,,, وفي مزرعة منصور ضو ,,, والتي لم يتم قصفها حتى الان وللعلم هذا المكان الوحيد لدعم الكتائب بهذا النوع من السلاح في كامل المنطقة الغربية الان ,,, نأمل التبليغ عنه للاهمية في هذا اليوم بالذات. 06 08
August 6 at 4:55pm

Abbas Ghazi Mokni Tabola Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam جداااااااااااااااااااااااااا
Telephone rebels Zahra: larger stores and a workshop for the installation and equipping of 14.5 Western Region in the Got Abussaq Balzhra street Turabi corresponding to the broad market previously, and in the farm Mansour Daou,,, and have not been bombed yet and this is understood, the only place to support the battalions of this type of arms in the entire western region now,,, we hope the importance of reporting him to this very day. 0608
August 6 at 4:55 pm

Further postings appear to be saved copies of degraded quality on Youtube, with posting dates only, not times.

- Massacre in Qalaa Libya, Video taken from Gaddafi Soldier
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb9syDSnb4I
Posted by user CCTV prince, August 5. This one has decent resolution, and gives the link to Facebook above. No description.

Comments: Interesting. One accuses the poster of being a fake account.

- "MASSACRE IN QALAA LIBYA."

Posted by user ibnomar2005, Aug 5.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGv9lzpMgY8

Good resolution. 

Comments: mixed

- "Civilians 34 from the city of Qalha executed by soldiers of Gaddafi."
Posted by user algelawy2009, August 5.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpiqwUPmIYE
Desc: [via Comments (algelawy2009)]
هولاء الشهداء اخططفوا من منطقة ظاهر القلعة وتم قتلهم قتل جماعي في منطقة مزرعة المليعب بظاهر القلعة بالقرب من بوابة االسوادنة من قبل كتايب المجرم القدافي لعنة الله عليه والله المستعان
[trans: Hola Akhttafoa martyrs from the area of ​​the castle was killed by apparent mass murder in the farm Alumblyab apparent meaning of the castle near the gate of Aalsoadna by Ktaib criminal Kadhafi to curse God and God used him]

Comments: Two of six, in Arabic, translated only:

frombenghazi1 1 week ago
Note if the method of killing everyone in the same manner in which the execution of soldiers who refused to shoot handcuffed hands and legs, and I personally think they were prisoners of God's mercy and accept them and take revenge from Chdeddae of Gaddafi and his dogs and the evil die Mitte Amiyeyeeyeeyean Aallah. There is no power but from God Almighty Alaa know that honoring the dead to bury them is minimum and Akhro
libyan1dream 2 days ago
I heard they were killed by rebels

Ironically, two ways of saying the same thing. The binding and blindfolding, if not the intact skulls, is reminiscent of the rebel's early al Baida massacre of February, which they transparently blamed on the government.

Algelawy might mean something about al-Galaa, another way of saying al-Qala'a, the town these victims are said to be from. Indeed, one comment at Misratapost's posting (see below) is from Algelawy2009, adding more than at their own posting.

It is in Algalah in the area called” Almlaeb” I am from Algalah and I know this area very well because i recognized the first face of the first body in the queue and it is my uncle and his name Emahmed Soliman and his son next to him and they kidnapped since 4 months ago and other people they recognized the some bodies by their clothes they are clear some of them are children as he say the photographer and all the family of these bodies think they are in the prison of Gadafi

Hmmm... of all the people there, he's sure just from this the notable old man, and the notable boy beside him, with the hole in his head, are father and son, and his own uncle and cousin? Not quite buying it. 

- "Al-Gala massacre, 34 men executed including one child."
Posted by user misratapost, August 5.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8iLkPQiv4Y
Desc: [English]
MUAMMAR Gaddafi's forces have committed "crimes against humanity and war crimes on a large scale" Torture, mass executions , using humans as shields and banned cluster bombs, rape...
Here is another evidence from the town of Al-Gala -- Libya

This one has subtitles - # refers to speaking parties, explained at the main post:

1:25 - "34 bodies." [#3, faint, saying more than this]
1:34 - "This is the fate of rats." [#3, clearly saying more than this]
1:48 - [#3 question, no subtitle]
1:52 - "This is the fate of the dirty rats - dogs." [#1, cameraman]
1:56 - "They smell very ill." [#3]
2:04 - "See the dogs, see the dogs." [#1, spits]
2:09 - "This is the fate of rats." [#1]
2:11 - "This is a child. Show the child." [#3]
2:20 - "This is the fate of the dirty rats. These are old men." [#3. voice muffled by jacket]
2:46 - "See the rats." [#3]
3:07 - "This is a child. Dig a grave for him." [#1]
3:13 - "This is from Pakistan? No. I thought so. Dig a hole for him." [#2, apparently, and #1 speaking]

Comments: All apparently allowed, 65 total, and some critical thoughts, mostly from user AntinaziHippy, are worth a read. Algelawy's is above.

- [Raw Libya Libye ليبيا] Découverte d'un charnier dans les montagnes Nefusa
[Why French? Trans: Discovery of a mass grave in the mountains Nefusa]
Posted by ImazighenLibya, Feb 5.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLcBBa7zrXA
desc: Video found in the mobile phone of a Gaddafi militiaman recently captured in the Nefusa mountains. Crimes de guerres des milices de Gadafi. Découverte d'un charnier dans les alentours de la ville de Al-Qalaa, dans les montagnes Nefusa en Libye. War crimes of Gaddafi's militias. Discovery of a mass grave on the outskirts of the city of Al-Qalaa in the Nefusa mountains in west Libya. جرائم الحرب التي ترتكبها ميليشيات القذافي. اكتشاف مقبرة جماعية في ضواحي مدينة القلعة في جبل نفوسة بليبيا.

Comments:

How did they die? I dont see any blood or bulletholes???
@Robinfindlay the video comes from the mobile phone of one militiaman captured recently in the Nefusa mountains. In Arabic the voice in the background commenting, at 1.55 says "this is the fate that awaits the rats" "look at these dogs" "let the worms eat their bodies, dogs" "these are rats and dogs" etc. Investigation is pending to determine date, names of militiamen involved in this mass killing, etc.
ImazighenLibya 1 week ago

These bodies can't be old. They are not bloated or rotting. This video seems odd. Any more info on it?
kcf6969 1 week ago
@kcf6969 Investigation still pending
ImazighenLibya 1 week ago

- عصابات المجرم الطاغية يعدمون مواطنين عزل فى القلعة
[title trans: Criminal gangs tyrant executed unarmed at the castle]
posted by user 17022011libya, Aug 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf1woUuGfzo
desc: same as title
Comments: 6, Arabic, Anti-Gaddafi boring depressing stupid

- "Footage of Gaddafi forces murdering farmers in Al-Qala, Nafusa Mountains."
Posted by user Libyanym, August 6.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvOMMbIEixk
Desc:

Farmers who stayed behind to tend to their animals after their families fled to Tunisia were arrested by Gaddafi forces on June 2, 2011.

This video is the footage of their corpses after their arrest, torture, and murder.

Families of these farmers are still being informed of their death. Investigations into the details of this horrific incident are still underway. It has been confirmed that one of the farmers was 85 years old.

The brutality of the Gaddafi regime knows no bounds, these are viscous crimes against humanity. Gaddafi terrorizes innocent civilians and continues to do so. The Libyan people call for their basic human rights and that Gaddafi be brought to justice.

On the bolded - On day two of this story being known, multiple "invetigations" were still "under way?" Why hadn't they finished yet?

- Battle for Libya: Rebels #Feb17 - the demonic animals kill 34 people
Then Libya S.O.S. re-post, August 7, on their blog.
http://libyasos.blogspot.com/2011/08/battle-for-libya-rebels-fab17-demonic.html
It's edited with a green pro-Gaddafi stamp, worse quality than usual. The text refers to a previous deletion.
Rebels crime in the Western Mountain at Al Qala'a area! They killed all the civilians from Almeshashia tribe who refused to join them! Propaganda machine delete this video


- Unknown, and ImazighenLibya
Posted on Youtube by unknown, apparently the Libya S.O.S., presumably August 6.
As Peet73 alerted me:

There was a hint from the facebook-group "British Civilians for Peace in Libya" on Saturday concerning a new atrocity video from the Nafusa Mountains. But it was immediatly deleted on Youtube before I had oportunity to watch it.

He later provided the "link posted by the Facebook administrator of BCfPL on aug. 6, 12:13 p.m."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELxbUXs03OI&feature=youtu.be
Indeed, it says it's no longer available "due to a copyright claim by ImazighenLibya."

Hmmm... Tripoli News Revolution posted it first. Or did they? ImazighenLibya's copy is inferior quality, not the original clearly. And they only called foul on a posting that put a different spin on the video. But so long as the posting context agreed, as IL's copy did, it was free to share. This plus the terse "investigation pending" comments suggest this person is a self-appointed guardian of the secrets of this video. Is it Youtube's policy to honor such a gripe? Or did they simply get hoodwinked into thinking it was?

As Peet73 suggests, a look at the user's channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/ImazighenLibya - is interesting. I figured Imazighen referred the Amazigh (or Berber) people of the area, said to be anti-Gaddafi and culturally repressed with their interesting symbol writing. I was right - some videos and the historical sidebar explain the peoples' history and amazingness. I bet "amazing" is even derived from Amazigh. But he's not so into everyone's racial pride, as Peet73 rightly said:

This channel is worth a closer look, it seems quite professional (who helps here?) but contains a lot of racist stuff. For example "corrupted African black tribes & mercenaries" are blamed to support Gaddafi in the historical overview on the left. 

The current top video doesn't help - Muammar Gaddafi speaking angrily, spliced with Zulu warriors (I presume, from the movie Zulu?) running into battle. There are many spooky videos hosted here of Nafusah mountain rabbles in Qawalish and around the area mopping up "mercenaries" from Africa, who, as Peet73 notes, "always wear uniforms."