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June 10, 2011

U.N. Human Rights Panel Hears Allegations of Gaddafi Crimes 
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At the United Nations, the U.N. Human Rights Council held a session
Thursday on a commission of inquiry's findings of war crimes by the
Muammar Gaddafi regime. The head of the panel, Cherif Bassiouni, said
Gaddafi's forces have committed multiple violations of international
law.

Cherif Bassiouni: "There have been acts constituting murder, unlawful
imprisonment and other forms of severe violations of fundamental rules
of international law such as torture, persecution and enforced
disappearances that were committed by government forces and their
supporters as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a
civilian population with the knowledge that the attack was directed
against part of the Libyan population. Such acts fall within the meaning
of crimes against humanity."

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, backed the
panel's findings.

Navi Pillay: "In my view, this is nothing more than a government waging
war on its own people, people who are asking for fundamental human
rights that are accepted in most democratic countries and they should be
responding to those calls for ending corruption and for a greater say in
government and for rights."



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