Moammar Gaddafi through the years

Moammar Gaddafi has ruled Libya for more than 40 years. Now, he is strongly rejecting opposition demands that he give up power, as anti-government demonstrators continue to push for his ouster.

5 Seconds

00:00

1970

Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi is shown in uniform in this 1970 photo. He has controlled Libya since he came to power in a bloodless 1969 military coup.

/ AP

June 25, 1970

Col. Moammar Gaddafi, head of the Libyan revolutionary command council, addresses a crowd at the stadium of Benghazi, Libya, in 1970. The address celebrated the evacuation of U.S. troops from Libyan territory.

/ AP

Aug. 18, 1971

President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, left, Col. Moammar Gaddafi of Libya, center, and Gen. Hafez Assad of Syria are shown during a 1971reception in Damascus.

/ AP

Oct. 10, 1976

Col. Moammar Gaddafi, president of Libya, waves to a crowd as he rides a horse during a ceremony in Ajdabia, Libya. The 1976 celebration marks the sixth anniversary of the eviction of Italians from Libya.

/ AP

Feb. 9, 1977

Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gaddafi addressing the massive rally at the Martyrs square at Tripoli in 1977.

Arna Of Tripoli / AP

Dec. 4, 1977

Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat, right, raises his hand in a salute to delegates, with Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, center, and PLO leader George Habash, at the Arab Nations Summit in 1977.

/ AP

Sept. 1, 1987

Gaddafi holds a baton as he sits to review Libyan troops during the 18th anniversary celebration of Libya's revolution in Tripoli.

John Redman / AP

Aug. 20, 1990

Gaddafi instructs journalists to take their seats at a 1990 news conference in Tripoli. He flew in more than 100 foreign journalists to condemn U.S. intervention in the Gulf region.

Axel Schulz-Eppers / AP

Oct. 4, 1995

Gaddafi waves to Palestinian workers expelled from Libya and Libyan supporters upon his 1995 arrival at a camp set up in no-man's land on the Libyan-Egyptian border under Libyan jurisdiction. Gaddafi had been enforcing a policy to expel Palestinian workers and their families as a gesture against the Israeli-PLO agreements.

Mohamed El-Dakhakhny / AP

June 22, 1996

Gaddafi puts his arm around Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak at Cairo airport in 1996. Recent anti-government demonstrations in the Middle East that removed Mubarak from power in Egypt are currently threatening Gaddafi's hold on power in Libya.

Enric Marti / AP

Aug. 31, 1996

Gaddafi is joined by the U.S. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, left, as he opens a new hospital in Tripoli in 1996.

Lino Azzopardi / AP

Sept. 1, 1996

Gaddafi is surrounded by unidentified guests and aides during ceremonies in Tripoli to mark the 27th anniversary of the 1969 coup that brought him to power.

Lino Azzopardi / AP

Dec. 2, 1997

Gaddafi and his wife, Safiya, in 1997.

Dimitri Messinis / AP

April 3, 2000

Gaddafi, center, Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi, left, and Togo President Gnassingbe Eyadema listen to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during the opening session of the Africa-Europe summit in Cairo in 2000.

Enric Marti / AP

Aug. 2, 2000

Gaddafi, left, is welcomed by Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunis in 2000.

/ AP

Oct. 5, 2000

Jordan's King Abdullah II, right, escorts Gaddafi, left, to Amman's town hall center to attend a state celebration hosted in Gaddafi's honor in 2000.

/ AP

Feb. 5, 2001

Gaddafi gestures in front of a statue representing a hand catching a U.S warplane near his home in Tripoli in 2001. In a 2009 address before the U.N. General Assembly, Gaddafi lambasted the U.S. over the war in Iraq, and said former president George W. Bush should be tried for war crimes.

Amr Nabil / AP

Feb. 10, 2004

Gaddafi laughs in a tent while meeting with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Sirt, Libya, in 2004.

John Moore / AP

March 25, 2004

U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, left, walks with Gaddafi, right, outside Gaddafi's tent in Tripoli in 2004.

Alastair Grant / AP

June 10, 2008

Gaddafi embraces Tunisia's then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali at an Arab mini-summit, in the Tripoli in 2008. U.S. State Department cables from 2009 released by WikiLeaks detailed Gaddafi's fear of flying and tendency to travel with a "voluptous blonde" Ukranian nurse who "knows his routine."

Abdel Meguid Al-Fergany / AP

Sept. 5, 2008

Gaddafi meets with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Tripoli in 2008.

Nasser Nasser / AP

July 9, 2009

U.S. President Obama and Gaddafi meet during the 2009 G-8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy.

Michael Gottschalk / AP

Sept. 1, 2009

Gaddafi takes his seat behind bulletproof glass for a military parade in Tripoli in 2009. Libyan protesters this week celebrated in the streets of Benghazi claiming control of the country's second largest city after bloody fighting. Anti-government unrest spread to the capital with clashes in Tripoli's main square for the first time. Gaddafi's son vowed his father and security forces would fight "until the last bullet."

Ben Curtis / AP

Feb. 25, 2010

Gaddafi is seen during prayers after delivering a speech in the city of Benghazi, Libya, in 2010. Libyan special forces stormed a two-day-old protest in Benghazi, clearing the area this past Saturday, said witnesses. A human rights group estimated scores of people died in the harsh crackdown.

Abdel Meguid Al-Fergany / AP

This image broadcast on Libyan state television early Tuesday shows Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, who appeared for less than a minute on state television and made brief remarks to say he was in the capital, Tripoli. He denied rumors he fled to Venezuela amid the unrest sweeping his country.

/ AP

Featured Photo Galleries

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 21: Members of the Naval Academy freshman class (plebes) lock arms and form a human ladder while climbing the Herndon Monument at the United States Naval Academy on May 21, 2012 in Annapolis, Md. Each year members of the Naval Academy's freshman class (plebes) climb the lard covered 21-foot tall Herndon Monument to replace a plebe dixie cup hat with a midshipman's hat that was placed at the top of the obelisk. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Monument climb, baby heart transplant, robotic fish and more in the day in photos

Monument climb, baby heart transplant, robotic fish and more.

Red Panda Bears sleep in the Panda Bear enclosure at the Beijing Zoo on May 22, 2012. The zoo grounds were originally a Ming Dynasty imperial palace and finally opened to the public in 1908. The zoo's history states that during the WWII, most of the zoo's animals died of starvation with only 13 monkeys and one old emu surviving the war. AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTONMARK RALSTON/AFP/GettyImages

Barn owls, pit bulls, red pandas, cheetah cubs and more in animal views

Barn owls, pit bulls, red pandas, cheetah cubs and more.

‘Dancing with the Stars’

Season 14 of “Dancing With the Stars.”

The National Zoo has two new additions: the female cheetah cub, left, and her brother on the right.

The National Zoo’s new cheetah cubs

A dramatic rescue saved these two cheetah babies and their distressed mother giving birth.

May 21, 2012: Members of the Naval Academy freshman class (plebes) lock arms and form a human ladder while climbing the Herndon Monument at the United States Naval Academy on May 21, 2012 in Annapolis, Md. Each year members of the Naval Academy's freshman class (plebes) climb the lard covered 21-foot tall Herndon Monument to replace a plebe dixie cup hat with a midshipman's hat at the top of the obelisk.

Teamwork, discipline help plebes get to the top

At the U.S. Naval Academy, the freshman class attempts to climb the Herndon Monument.

US actress Cameron Diaz arrives for the European premiere of the film 'What To Expect When You're Expecting' at the IMAX Cinema in Waterloo in London, on May 22, 2012. AFP PHOTO/ANDREW COWIEAndrew Cowie/AFP/GettyImages

Eye on entertainment

Cameron Diaz, Patricia Heaton, Ray Romano, Chace Crawford, will.i.am and other celebrities.

JOPLIN, MO - MAY 19: Grace Goebel plays outside of the new Habitat for Humanity home of her parents that was built on the spot of a home that had been destroyed after a tornado hit the neighborhood almost one year ago on May 19, 2012 in Joplin, Missouri. Tuesday will mark the one-year anniversary of the EF-5 tornado that devastated the town. The tornado left behind a path of destruction along with 161 deaths and hundreds of injuries, but one year later there are signs that the town is beginning to recover. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Joplin, Missouri, one year after tornadoes devastate town

Reminders of destruction are everywhere in Joplin, Mo., a year after a killer tornado.

COLLEGE PARK, MD - APRIL 4: Pet acupuncturist Greta McVey puts needles in mixed breed 'Cashew' at her home office in College Park, MD on April 4, 2012. Cashew was rescued by his owner this past December and suffers from anxiety and fear of abandonment. McVey first licensed as an acupuncturist on humans then went on to be certified on animals. She hosts a variety of clientele, anything from birds, to guinea pigs but mainly treats dogs and cats. (Photo by Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

Washington’s ‘pet-u-puncture whisperer’

College Park’s Greta McVey is part of the growing industry focused on veterinary acupuncture.

Back to Previous Gallery

Discussion Policy | FAQ | About Discussions

Comments

Add your comment

Read what others are saying About Badges

SuperFan Badge

SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.

More about badges | Request a badge

Culture Connoisseur Badge

Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.

More about badges | Request a badge

Fact Checker Badge

Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.

More about badges | Request a badge

Washingtologist Badge

Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Writer Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.

Post Forum Badge

Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Weather Watcher Badge

Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.

More about badges | Request a badge

World Watcher Badge

World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Contributor Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

You must be logged in to report a comment.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.

More about badges

Get a badge

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.