Libya Admits to Torturing Medics

Moammar Gadhafi's son burnished his pro-Western image yesterday by admitting that Libya had tortured 5 nurses and a doctor once accused of spreading HIV among children, the AP reports. Seif al-Islam Gadhafi conceded that the "Benghazi six" were electrocuted and threatened after their 1999 imprisonment, but he did not apologize, and even accused one of exaggerating the torture he endured.

Reactions among the medics were mixed, one saying that the 36-year-old Gadhafi “always tells only a part of the truth, manipulating the media" while a nurse thanked him for finally coming clean about the case. Analysts say the young Gadhafi is attempting to build inroads with European leaders as part of a plan for economic liberalization, but it's not clear how much power he really wields. (More Moammar Gadhafi stories.)