Libya has accused both rebels and Nato forces of committing war crimes, while denying a United Nations report that the Gaddafi regime was guilty of such charges.
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Libyan diplomat Mustafa Shaban told the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday that Gaddafi’s regime was “the victim of a widespread aggression”.
“Cities in the hands of armed gangs suffer terrible violations of human rights and heinous crimes,” Shaban told the council.
He blamed the media, the opposition and African and foreign mercenaries for the violations and even “acts of cannibalism”. Shaban added that Gaddafi’s government would turn over evidence that it has obtained.
The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court said on Wednesday he was investigating whether Gaddafi had provided Viagra to Libyan soldiers to promote rape.
And a UN panel said last week its investigators had found evidence that government forces had committed murder, torture and sexual abuse.
Swiss ambassador Dante Martinelli called for the panel’s mandate to be extended so its experts could complete their investigations. Martinelli also demanded that humanitarian aid convoys receive unhinderted access to the country.
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Western powers are struggling to break a deadlock in the two-month conflict. On Wednesday France and Italy announced that they were following Britain’s move to send small teams of military officers to advise rebels trying to topple Gaddafi. Fighting between Gaddafi’s forces and rebels appears to have reached a stalemate in eastern Libya on a…
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For the past two weeks, unrest has been spreading across Libya, with protesters demanding the departure of the country’s leader, Moammar Gaddafi. The self-styled guide has led the country for more than 40 years and has warned he will fight till the end.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.