Trial of former Libyan PM postponed

A Libyan court decided to postpone former Prime Minister al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi's war crimes trial in the absence of the other two defendants, officials said. The trial was postponed until Dec. 12, Xinhua reported Monday. Al-Mahmoudi -- the last prime minister of Libya under Moammar Gadhafi's regime -- was to be tried alongside Mabruk al-Zahmul, manager of Afriqia company for Engineering, and Amer Terfas, a director of the company. The Libya Herald said charges against al-Mahmoudi include ordering a mass rape, misusing public funds and having dead bodies moved to buildings to infer that NATO airstrikes had caused civilian casualties, during the Libyan revolution that toppled Gadhafi last year. Defense lawyers requested to postpone the trail in order to have enough time to study the case at length. Al-Mahmoudi's lawyer, Daba Ali, said he had the chance to talk freely with his client. "Al-Baghdadi is doing very well and he has all his legal rights," Daba said.