Muammar Gaddafi, the globally-known and globally-despised Libyan autocrat, has died. After his reign as ruler of the Northern African country ended back in August of this year, Gaddafi had gone into hiding from NATO and the enraged Libyan citizens who suffered under his reign for over 40 years.

On October 20, 2011, a National Transitional Council official reported that Gaddafi was captured by Libyan forces. Gaddafi had gone into hiding after narrowly escaping a missile attack by U.S. and French forces on his base. The autocrat found cover in a drain underneath the city. Gaddafi was eventually found and captured in the drain, but it wouldn’t be long until reports surfaced that he was shot dead. Video of Gaddafi being manhandled by Libyan rebels also surfaced along with the report of his death. Photos of his body showed that he suffered abrasions in his abdomen, chest, and head. Senad el-Sadik el-Ureybi, a rebel who claimed to have killed Gaddafi, reported it took Gaddafi half an hour to die after being shot in both the head and chest.

Five days later Gaddafi was given a funeral in an undisclosed location in the desert. For 42 years, Gaddafi served as a symbol of atrocity to many people, and his death puts many, especially the citizens of Libya, to rest knowing that Muammar Gaddafi’s reign of terror is finally over.