Amnesty Urges Libya to Investigate Gadhafi Death
Amnesty International on Friday urged the new Libyan authorities to carry out a "full, independent and impartial investigation" into how Moammar Gadhafi died.
The group said that if he was deliberately killed in captivity it would constitute a war crime.
Video of Gadhafi’s capture appears to show he was alive when he was captured by troops from the National Transitional Council (NTC) in his home town of Sirte on Thursday.
"If Colonel Gadhafi was killed after his capture, it would constitute a war crime and those responsible should be brought to justice," said Claudio Cordone, senior director at Amnesty International.
"Investigating whether or not his death was a war crime might be unpopular. However, the NTC must apply the same standards to all, affording justice even to those who categorically denied it to others."
Amnesty said that if Gadhafi had been brought to trial, it "would have finally given his numerous victims answers as to why they were targeted and an opportunity for justice and reparations."
The group said that if the NTC was unable to guarantee an independent and impartial investigation, the investigation should be conducted by bodies such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) or U.N. rights mechanisms.
Amnesty has repeatedly called on all sides in Libya's conflict to respect international humanitarian law and has implored the NTC to protect captured pro-Gadhafi forces from revenge attacks.
Source: Agence France Presse
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