Misrata bombardment possible ‘war crime’

Amnesty International says attacks by forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi in Misrata could amount to war crimes.

Images shot specially for euronews show rebels in the besieged Libyan city on May 5. A group of men tour shattered buildings amid a desolate scene of burning vehicles.

Misrata, the only major city in the west of the country which hasn’t fallen to Gaddafi’s army, has become one of the bloodiest battlefields in the two-month conflict.

Amnesty accuses government forces of “relentless indiscriminate attacks” on civilian areas, involving

the use of snipers, cluster bombs and artillery.

“It shows a total disregard for the lives of ordinary people and is in clear breach of international humanitarian law,” says its report.

As vehicles burned in the background, one rebel dressed in a green tracksuit said:

“As Gaddafi’s troops saw us inside the electricity company they started to launch mortars and rockets. All the electronic installations caught fire as well as the cars.”

Amnesty says its report was based on a week-long visit to Misrata in mid-April and interviews with evacuated residents.

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