♪ sentenced to death by firing squad the son of libya's former leader wasn't in court to hear his fate. ♪ hello again, you are with al jazeera live from doha also to come in this program nato holds an emergency meeting on turkey's military campaign against i.s.i.l. and the kurdish p.k.k. president obama's ground breaking trip to east africa and due to become the first u.s. president to address the african union in just a little while.

plus. columbia authorities about to start exumation of what could be the country's largest mass grave. ♪ a son of libya's former leader moammar gadhafi and eight other defendants have been sentenced to death by firing squad and islam has been convicted forward crimes and suppressing the up rising of his father four years ago but he wasn't in court in tripoli to hear his fate which cannot be appealed and lee barker reports. >> reporter: he is the man many believed would succeed his father moammar gadhafi as leader of libya but after a guilty verdict islam now faces death by firing squad. he was arrested in 2011 trying to free the country and is being

kept in prison by a former rebel group in the mountain town of zintan and rebel group opposes the government in tripoli but allowed islam to participate via video link. 36 others were also given sentences on tuesday including former intelligence chief abdullah and former prime minister modi also sentenced to death by firing squad. libya's chief prosecutor says the sentences of those tried in tripoli will be carried out. >> translator: this verdict is final as the defendants were present, the final verdict from the court of appeals is not to be appealed through normal channels so they will be from the date they are arrested and caught. >> reporter: the charges against the men include war crimes crimes against humanity corruption and suppressing peaceful protests during the

2011 uprising against the regime. the case in one of the biggest in libya's history has involved more than 200 witnesses and more than 40,000 pages of evidence. a case was brought against islam by the international criminal court in 2011 but libya's leaders refused to hand him over for trial in the hague and later won to try him at home and tripoli has been repeatedly questioned. human rights accuse them of failing to provide islam with proper legal representation. for many libyans the gadhafi brothers and former aid represent the different faces of colonel gadhafi of his 42 years dictatorship and which many want left in the past lee barker, al jazeera. and we have a political analyst and director of the tripoli based institute and he says justice has not been done in this case. >> the families have suffered

the most heinous crimes at the hands of the gadhafi family of how the people who came out for the revolution and demonstrated peacefully without arms and being involved with the democratic transition in this and i don't think this is the kind of victory they may have wanted and ultimately any person that has been given a trial in this way is under prejudice and all be it know he will be guilty of some form of crime that has been committed in the last 40 years, the way in which and the means that have been used to conduct this trial are anything but legal but fair and anything but what many libyans came up with four years ago. now that emergency meeting of nato ministers that was taking place in brussels has ended. it was an extraordinary meeting.

it doesn't happen very often but the 28 nations defense block was called together by turkey at that meeting in brussels and is our correspondent barnabie phillips and did not meet for terribly long and how did they resolve with turkey's particular issues. >> you are right and they only met for what an hour and a half or so and we just had a brief statement from the zebbing zebbing of -- secretary-general of nato and taking it at face value they had strong support and solidarity for turkey in its fight against terrorism. there are a number of things that came up and was asked afterwards about whether nato member countries would be

sending military reenforcements to turkey and said there had been no such requests and he was asked about talk of some sort of buffer zone along the turkish syrian border, long border 900 kilometers and turkey has been talking about and he said this did not come up in today's meeting. that that would be a by lateral issue between the united states and turkey but that in brought terms welcomed the increased participation in a struggle against i.s.i.l. forces. >> barnabie phillips live in brussels and the turkish president is saying he can't continue the peace process with kurdish fighters and we are going to leave it because president obama is about to become the first sitting u.s. president to address the african union

union. >> leadership to prime minister and the people of ethiopia once again thank you for your wonderful hospitality and for hosting this african institution institution. to members of the african union, distinguished guests ladies and gentlemen thank you for welcoming me here today. it is a great honor to be the first president of the united states to address the african union. [applause] i'm grateful to speak to the representatives of more than one billion people of the great african continent. we are joined today by citizens by leaders of civil society, by faith communities and i'm

especially pleased to see so many young people who embody the energy and optimism of today's africa. hello and thank you for being here. i stand before you as a proud american american. i also stand before you as the son of an african. [applause] africa and its people helped to shape america and allowed it to become the great nation that it is and africa and its people helped shape who i am and how i see the world. in the villages in kenya where my father was born i learned of my ancestors and the life of my grandfather, the dreams of my father the bonds of family that connect us all as africans and

americans. as parents michelle and i want to make sure that our two daughters know their heritage european and african and all of its strengths and all of its struggle. so we have taken our daughters and stood with them on the shores of west africa in those doors of no return. mindful that their ancestors were both slaves and slave owners. we've stood with them in that small cell on robin island where they showed the world no matter the nature of his physical confinement he alone was the master of his fate. [applause] for us for our children africa and its people teach us a powerful lesson that we must

uphold the inherent dignity of every human being. dignity, that basic issue by virtue of common humanity and no matter where we come from or what we look like we are all born equal, touched by the grace of god. every person has worth. every person matters. every person deserves to be treated with decency and respect. throughout much of history mankind did not see this. dignity was seen as a virtual reserved to those of rank and privilege privilege, kings and elders and it took a revolution of a spirit over many centuries to open our eyes to the dignity of every person person. and around the world generations have struggled to put this idea

into practice in laws and in institutions. so too here in africa. this is the cradle of humanity. ancient african kingdoms were home to great libraries and universities. but the evil of slavery took root not only abroad but here on the continent. colonialism skewed africa's economy and robbed people of their capacity to shape their own destiny. eventually liberation movements grew and 50 years ago in a great burst of self determination africans rejoiced as foreign flags came down and your national flags went up. [applause] as south africa's said at the time the basis for peace and

brotherhood in africa is being restored by the resurrection of national sovereignty and independence. the quality and the dignity of man man. a half century into the independence era it is long pastime to put aside old stereotypes of an africa in poverty and conflict and the world must recognize africa's extraordinary progress. today africa is one of the fastest growing regions in the world. africa's middle class is projected to grow to more than one billion consumers. [applause] with hundreds of mobile phones and hundreds of millions of mobile phones surging access to the internet africans are beginning to leapfrogging all technologies into new prosperity. africa is on the move, a new africa is emerging. propelled by this progress and

in partnership with the world, africa has achieved historic gains in health. the rate of new hiv-aids infections has plummeted and african mothers are more likely to survive child birth and have healthy babies. deaths from malaria have been slashed saving the lives of millions of african children. millions have been lifted from extreme poverty. africa has led the world in sending more children to school. in other words, more and more african men, women and children are living with dignity and with hope. [applause] and africa's progress can be seen in the institutions that bring us together today. when i first came to sub sahara as a president i said it doesn't need strong men, it needs strong

institutions. [applause] and one of those institutions can be the african union. here you can come together with a shared commitment to human dignity and development. here your 54 nations pursue a common vision of an integrated prosperous and peaceful effort and as the world approaches i asked to change the approach to africa. [applause] so many africans have told me we don't want just aid, we want trade that fuels progress. we don't want patrons, we want patrons who help us build our capacity to grow. we don't want the indignity of that, we want to make our own choices and determine our own future and as president we worked to transform that relationship with africa so that we are truly listening to our african friends and working together as equal partners.

and i'm proud of the progress that we have made. we boosted american exports to this region part of trade that supports trade for africans and americans, to sustain our momentum and with by partisan support with some outstanding members of congress who are here today, 20 of them are here today and i recently signed the ten-you're renewal of the opportunity act and i want to thank them all and would you stand briefly so you can see them because they have done outstanding work. [applause] we launched initiatives for public health and security and prepare the next generation of leaders, investments that will help fuel africa's rise for decades to come. last year as the chair woman

noted i welcomed nearly 50 african presidents and prime ministers to washington so we could begin a new chapter of cooperation and by coming to the african union today i'm looking to build on that. i believe africa's rise is not just important for africa it's important for the entire world. we will not be able to meet the challenges of our time from ensuring a strong global economy to facing down violent extremism to combatting climate change and ending hunger and extreme poverty without the voices and contributions with one billion africans. [applause] now, even with africa's impressive progress we must acknowledge that many of these gains rest on a fragile foundation. alongside new wealth hundreds of millions of africans still endure extreme poverty.

alongside high-tech hubs of innovation many africans are crowded into shanty towns without power or water, assault on human dignity. more over as the youngest and fastest growing continent africa's population in the coming decades will double to some two billion people and many of them will be young, under 18. on one hand this could bring tremendous opportunities as these young africans harness new technologies and unite new growth and reforms. economists will tell you that countries, regions, continents grow faster with younger populations. it's a demographic edge and advantage. but only if those young people are being trained. we need only to look at the middle east and north africa to see that large numbers of young

people with though jobs and stifled voices can fuel instability and disorder. i suggest to you that the most urgent task facing africa today and for decades ahead is to create opportunity for this next generation. [applause] and this will be an enormous undertaking. africa will need to generate millions more jobs than it's doing right now and time is of the essence. the choices made today will shape the trajectory of africa and therefore the world for decades to come. and as your partner and your friend allow me to suggest several ways that we can meet this challenge together. africa's progress will depend on unleashing economic growth not just for the few at the top but

for the many because an essential element of dignity is being able to live a decent life. [applause] that begins with a job and that requires trade and investment. many of your nations have made important reforms to attract investment. it has been a spark for growth. but in many places across africa it is still too hard to start a venture. still too hard to build a business. governments that take additional reforms to make doing business easier will have an eager partner in the united states. [applause] and that includes reforms to help africa trade more with itself as the chair woman and i discussed before we came out here today because the biggest markets for your goods are often right next door. you don't have to just look overseas for growth.

you can look internally at our work to help africa modernize customs and border crossings started with east african community and now we are expanding our efforts across the continent because it shouldn't be hard for african countries to trade with each other as it is with europe and america. [applause] now most u.s. trade with the region is with just three countries, south africa nigeria and angola and much of that is in the form of energy. i want africans and americans doing more business together in more sectors, in more countries so we are increasing trade missions to places like tanzania ethiopia and mozambeke and getting the goods to market. next year we will host another business form to mobilize billions of dollars in trade and investment so we are buying more of each other's products and all

growing together. now, the united states isn't the only country that sees your growth as an opportunity. and that is a good thing. when more countries invest responsibly in africa it creates more jobs and prosperity for us all so i want to encourage everybody to do business with africa and african countries should want to do business with every country. but economic relationships can't simply be about building countries infrastructure with foreign labor or extracting africa's natural resources. real economic partnerships have to be a good deal for africa. they have to create jobs and capacity for africans. [applause] and that includes the point that zuma made about elicit flows with multi nationals which is a

reason we have been a leading after advocate working with g 7 and accounting what businesses are investing here in africa and making sure that capitol flows are properly accounted for. that is the kind of partnership america offers. nothing will unlock africa's economic potential more than ending the cancer of corruption and you are right that it is not just a problem of africa, it is a problem of those who do business with africa it is not unique to africa corruption exists all over the world including the united states. but here in africa corruption drains billions of dollars from economies that cannot afford to lose billions of dollars. that is money that could be used to create jobs and build hospitals and schools. and when someone has to pay a bribe just to start a business or go to school or get an

official to do the job they are supposed to be doing anyway that's not the african way. it undermines the dignity of the people you represent. [applause] only africans can end corruption in their countries. and that has been the government's commitment to take action, the united states will work with you to combat elicit financing and transparency and they already have strong laws in place and they cannot engage in bribery to try to get business which not all countries have and we actually enforce it and police it. and let me add that criminal networks are both fueling corruption and threatening africa's precious wildlife and with it the tourism that many count on and america stands with you in the fight against

wildlife trafficking and that is something that has to be addressed. but ultimately the most powerful antedote of the old ways of doing things is this new generation of african youth. history shows that the nations that do best are the ones that invest in the education of their people. [applause] you see in this information age jobs can flow any way and they typically will flow to where workers are literate and highly skilled and online. and africa's young people are ready to compete. i met them. they are hungry. they are eager. they are willing to work hard. so we have to invest in them. as africa invests in education or entrepreneurship programs are helping innovators to start new

businesses and create jobs right here in africa. and the men and women and our young african leader initiative today will be the leaders who can transform civil society and governments tomorrow and the progress will depend on what truly lifts countries from poverty to prosperity because people everywhere deserve the dignity of a life free from want. a child born in africa today is just as equal and just as worthy as a child born in asia or europe of america but the resent development conference here in august african leadership helped form a new global compact for financing that fuels development and under the a.u.'s leadership the voice of united africa will help shape the world's set of development goals and you are pursuing a vision of the future you want for africa. and america's approach to

development, the central focus of our engagement with africa is focused on helping you build your own capacity to realize that vision. instead of just shipping food aid to africa we helped more than two million farmers to use new techniques to boost yields and feed more people and boost that and with the private sector investing billions in african agriculture i believe we can achieve our goal and lift 50 million africans from poverty. instead of just sending aid to build power plants our power african initiative is with billions of dollars in investment from governments and businesses to reduce the number of africans living without electricity. now, an under taking of this magnitude will not be quick and take many years but working together i believe we can bring electricity to 60 million african homes and businesses and connect more africans to the global economy.

[applause] . >> good morning i'm in new york and you are watching live coverage and this is president obama addressing the african union and he has been talking for a while about ending what he called the cancer of corruption. let's return to the president. >> rivers for hydropower you can turn this climate threat into an economic opportunity and i urge africa to join us in rejecting old divides between north and south so we can forge a strong global climate and sparing some people from rising seas is a matter of human dignity. and instead of medicine we are investing in treatments and helping them prevent and treat diseases. as the united states continues to provide billions of dollars in the fight against hiv-aids

and as your countries take greater ownership of health programs we are moving toward a historic accomplishment the first aids free generation. [applause] and if the world learned anything from ebola is the best way to prevent epidemics is for strong public health systems that stop diseases from spreading in the first place so america is proud to partner with the a.u. and african countries in this mission. today i can announce that the one billion dollars the united states is devoting to this work globally half will support efforts here in africa. i believe africa's progress will also depend on democracy. because africans like people everywhere deserve the dignity of being in control of their own

lives. [applause] we all know what the ingredients of real democracy are. they include free and fair elections but also freedom of speech and the press, freedom of assembly. these rights are universal and they are written into african constitutions. [applause] the african charter on human and people's rights declares that every individual shall have the right to the respect of the dignity inherent in a human being. from sierra leone, ghanna and others and south africa democracy has taken route. [switching captioners]

>> i have to proclaim, democracy is not just form ales. elections. you know, when journalists are put behind bars for doing their jobs or activists of threatened as departments crack down on civil society then you may have democracy in name, but not in substance. i'm convinced that nations cannot realize the full promise of independence until they fully protect the rights of their people and this is true even for countries that have made