As the conflict in Libya continues and forces loyal to Gaddafi continue to pound the Western bastion of Misurata and the Eastern crossroads city of Ajdabiya, it would seem that the rebels have their hands full.

But there is another problem which is rearing its ugly head in the territory held by the Transitional National Council and it still has everything to do with atrocities against civilians and murder – the very things which the Libyan people are trying to get rid of with the Gaddafi regime.

It is becoming clear that some elements of Free Libya are actively pursuing people who are known to be Gaddafi supporters of varying degrees. Reports of disappearances, summary roadside executions and intimidation are beginning to surface in the East.

Human nature will perhaps allow us to ‘forgive’ free Libyans for taking out their anger on people who have oppressed them, informed of them, arrested them, beaten them and more over the last decades.

But a crucial lesson must be learned – the rule of law. There are hundredfold sayings and quotes from around the world on the issue of enemies, and more or less, the collective wisdom says that the measure of a person (or a people), is not in how they treat their friends, but how they treat their enemies.

Eastern Libya has already raised questions about elements of Islamist fundamentalism, but the TNC moved quickly to quash Western worries. Leaders in the council assured the West that a new Free Libya will be built on the principles of democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights.

Now that these reports have surfaced, the TNC and the rebels will have a major job on their hands. Years of pent-up fury, frustration and anger seem now to be spilling over onto the streets of Benghazi, Tobruk – and when time allows for it – Ajdabiya. There was even a story that made the wires whereby a language school owner has become the target of threats and violence because a state-owned sign of Gaddafi (huge) hangs above his establishment. He has pleaded with the council to help him remove it, as its presence is leading to threats of violence against him. His calls have so far fallen on deaf ears.

While the immediate and pressing concern of the TNC is beating back Gaddafi and hopefully eventually pushing West, at least to relieve Misurata, they must understand that the yardstick with which they will be measured will be on the implementation of democracy. This is not going to happen overnight – it did not even happen overnight during the European Spring, but this issue of witch hunts and summary executions must be dealt with and sooner rather than later.

Setting up infrastructure and all the necessary organs for civil society to blossom are important to the concept of a functioning democracy. Small steps have been taken, most notably with the introduction of a home-grown free press, but above all, the killing and the persecution must stop. However, it will be hard. The last mayor of Benghazi was rewarded by Gaddafi for dangling on the legs of a man executed on live TV through hanging. When his spine did not snap, a woman dashed out of the crowd and pulled with all her might on the man’s legs to bring about his death.

The woman was rewarded and made mayor of Benghazi. She has since fled to Tripoli, but it puts the matter into context. It is very easy to preach from one’s comfortable office chair, in a safe and relatively peaceful environment. One can only hope that humanity and reason will prevail over madness and violence.