UN welcomes probe into Libya killings

2011-10-27 11:48

New York - Killings committed by both sides during the final battle for the Libyan city of Sirte could be considered war crimes, the United Nations said on Wednesday as it welcomed plans by the country's transitional government to investigate.

Ian Martin, the head of the UN mission in Libya, told the Security Council during an open session in New York that killings by rebel troops in Sirte went against the orders of the National Transitional Council.

Martin said Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim were "mistreated and killed" in circumstances requiring an investigation after they were captured last week.

"The evidence has mounted to deliberate killings of prisoners by the Gaddafi regime during the conflict, including the last days in Tripoli, as well as some abuses by the revolutionary fighters," he said.

The whereabouts of another son of Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam, and Abdullah al-Senussi are unknown. Both have been indicted by the International Criminal Court.

- SAPA