UNITED NATIONS (AP) " U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep shock late Friday at the discovery of mass graves in Libyan territory recently recaptured from forces commanded by Khalifa Hifter, and called for a transparent investigation. The U.N. chief also called on Libya's U.N.-supported government to secure the mass graves, identify the victims, establish the causes of death and return the bodies to next of kin. The discoveries have raised fears about the extent of human rights violations in territories controlled by Hifter's forces, given the difficulties of documentation in an active war zone. Philippe Nassif, Amnesty International's director for the Middle East and North Africa, said the group was working to verify the mass killings. Libya has been in turmoil since 2011 when a civil war toppled long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed.

Source: Libya Today June 13, 2020 05:37 UTC