Libya may be guilty of war crimes, says top UN official
Libyan government forces may be committing war crimes by using heavy weapons against civilians in the besieged port city of Misrata, the UN’s top human rights official said today.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi should be aware that their actions in Misrata will be scrutinised by the International Criminal Court.
Pillay said in a statement that the deliberate targeting of medical facilities is a war crime and the reckless endangerment of civilians also violates international humanitarian law.
She urged Libyan authorities to halt their siege of the city and allow medical care to reach victims.
Pillay says it is “clear that the numbers are now substantial, and that the dead include women and children”.
"Under international law, the deliberate targeting of medical facilities is a war crime,'' Pillay said in statement.
"The deliberate targeting or reckless endangerment of civilians may also amount to serious violations of international human rights law or international humanitarian law,'' she said.
Pillay said it was inevitable that weapons such as cluster munitions, multiple rocket launchers and other heavy weaponry would lead to civilian casualties if used in crowded urban areas.
“I urge the Libyan authorities to face the reality that they are digging themselves and the Libyan population deeper and deeper into the quagmire,” she said. “They must halt the siege of Misrata and allow aid and medical care to reach the victims of the conflict.”
The UN children’s fund said at least 20 children have been killed by fighting in Misrata, but broader casualty figures have been difficult to obtain as the city is virtually cut off from the rest of the world save for occasional aid ships.
Nevertheless, Pillay said it was “clear that the numbers (of victims) are now substantial, and that the dead include women and children.”
In her statement, she also urged Nato to take special care not to kill civilians in its effort to enforce the UN-mandated no-fly zone over Libya.
