The United Nations human rights office says it is ‘deeply disturbed’ by death sentences handed down by a Libyan court to a son of Colonel Gaddafi and eight officials from the deposed dictator’s regime.<br /><br /> Saif-al Islam Gaddafi has given evidence to the hearing by video link and was not in the courtroom in Tripoli to hear the verdict.<br /><br /> Since 2011, the late leader’s son has been held by a former rebel group in the mountainous Zintan region of the lawless country in which two governments are fighting for control. The group refuses to hand him over.<br /><br /> The legal representative of the defendants, including former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi and ex-prime minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi said there would be an appeal.<br /><br /> Lawyer Hussien al-Sherif described the court’s judgement as ‘very harsh’.<br /><br /> A total of 37 people were on trial including Saif al-Islam, sentenced over war crimes including the killing of protesters during the 2011 revolution that ended his father’s rule.<br /><br /> Eight other e
