Moscow insists on full investigation of human rights violations in Libya
Interfax - 3.12.12 - JRL 2012-47
MOSCOW. March 12 (Interfax) - Any violations of human rights in Libya, including by NATO servicemen, must be investigated, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
The international independent commission for Libya set up by the UN Human Rights Council presented its final report to the Council's 19th session.
"We think that all illegal actions indicated in the report, including human rights violations by NATO, must be a subject of comprehensive investigation and all the culprits must be punished," it said.
"The commission's conclusions about NATO conduct in Operation Unified Defender obviously disagreed with the earlier statement of NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who declared the absence of 'confirmed casualties' in the civilian population. The international experts confirmed deaths of 60 civilians and injuries of 55 civilians in NATO air strikes. They singled out information about 34 deaths in a NATO air strike on Majer on August 8, 2011," the ministry said.
Apart from information about illegal actions by the Qaddafi regime, the experts reported massive violations of human rights by Libyan insurgents. They highlighted the execution of about 80 supporters of Qaddafi in the Sirte Mahari Hotel and the destruction of practically all residential and administrative buildings in that city.
"The commission exposed numerous cases of abductions, tortures and lynching of supporters of the old authorities, suspected mercenaries and representatives of ethnic minorities, who became a target of persecutions. In the opinion of the commission, such actions of Libyan insurgents in the conflict may be described as war crimes," the ministry said.
The ministry expressed serious concern about the commission's opinion that the new Libyan authorities did not investigate the exposed crimes and none of the Libyan insurgents had been prosecuted.
The commission also said that Libyan prisons had actually fallen out of jurisdiction of national laws and were fully controlled by local armed groups, the ministry said.
Keywords: Russia, Middle East, North Africa, Libya - Russia
MOSCOW. March 12 (Interfax) - Any violations of human rights in Libya, including by NATO servicemen, must be investigated, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
The international independent commission for Libya set up by the UN Human Rights Council presented its final report to the Council's 19th session.
"We think that all illegal actions indicated in the report, including human rights violations by NATO, must be a subject of comprehensive investigation and all the culprits must be punished," it said.
"The commission's conclusions about NATO conduct in Operation Unified Defender obviously disagreed with the earlier statement of NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who declared the absence of 'confirmed casualties' in the civilian population. The international experts confirmed deaths of 60 civilians and injuries of 55 civilians in NATO air strikes. They singled out information about 34 deaths in a NATO air strike on Majer on August 8, 2011," the ministry said.
Apart from information about illegal actions by the Qaddafi regime, the experts reported massive violations of human rights by Libyan insurgents. They highlighted the execution of about 80 supporters of Qaddafi in the Sirte Mahari Hotel and the destruction of practically all residential and administrative buildings in that city.
"The commission exposed numerous cases of abductions, tortures and lynching of supporters of the old authorities, suspected mercenaries and representatives of ethnic minorities, who became a target of persecutions. In the opinion of the commission, such actions of Libyan insurgents in the conflict may be described as war crimes," the ministry said.
The ministry expressed serious concern about the commission's opinion that the new Libyan authorities did not investigate the exposed crimes and none of the Libyan insurgents had been prosecuted.
The commission also said that Libyan prisons had actually fallen out of jurisdiction of national laws and were fully controlled by local armed groups, the ministry said.