Libyan Transitional National Council chairman Mustafa Abdul-Jalil.Francois Mori/The Associated Press
Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the head of the Libyan Transitional National Council, should not have advanced his own theory about Moammar Gadhafi's death. While it is good that the TNC has appointed a committee of inquiry to investigate how Colonel Gadhafi died, the committee should be able to do its work accurately and conscientiously, without any appearance of influence from the head of the Libyan government.
Mr. Abdel Jalil hypothesized that Col. Gadhafi was killed in order to prevent a trial that could have disclosed many of the crimes of the overthrown regime. This somewhat convoluted theory invites a suspicion that Mr. Abdel Jalil wishes to exculpate his own supporters: "Let us question who has the interest in the fact that Gadhafi will not be tried. Those who wanted him killed were those who were loyal to him or had played a role under him; his death was in their benefit."
Previously, some members of the TNC had said that Col. Gadhafi was killed in crossfire between his remaining supporters and TNC forces, but videos seem to show otherwise, the already defeated tyrant being at the mercy of the victorious insurgents – kicked, smacked and ending up with a bullet in the side of his head. He had tried to hide in a drainpipe, from which he was captured alive – the subsequent crossfire is dubious.
Mr. Abdel Jalil has also announced the formation of a committee to decide on the disposition of Col. Gadhafi's body – which had been left, distastefully, to be gawked at (and to decay) for four days.
Col. Gadhafi's gruesome end has precedents in the deaths of other dictators, in particular, Benito Mussolini in Italy and Nicolae Ceausescu in Romania. But the murky circumstances of this death are not a promising sign for the future rule of law in Libya. Mr. Abdel Jalil needs to clear the air, and the committee should take its task seriously.