This question of what happens to those subject to Khaddafi's rule is not merely theoretical:
Encircled by military and police checkpoints, Zawiyah - a city of 200,000 people and home to Libya's second biggest refinery - has been almost entirely cut off from journalists for weeks, except for two brief, government-sanctioned press trips immediately after Gaddafi's victory there on March 10. Since late February the town has also had no telephone service, mobile or landline, because the government cut all connections when the military launched its counteroffensive against the rebels. For two weeks, the rebels fought a bitter war against Gaddafi's military virtually on the doorstep of the capital, in a crucial test of the regime's ability to survive the monthlong revolt.
Until now, no details have emerged about what retribution was exacted against Zawiyah in the wake of the rebels' defeat - details that may offer a window into what could happen in the coming days or weeks in eastern Libya should the military close in on the rebel headquarters of Benghazi, as it seems poised to do any day now. Judging by Zawiyah, Libya's rebellion - if it is finally crushed - will exact a heavy price.
What are the limits of our compassion?
