GENEVA / LIBYA HUMAN RIGHTS

Melissa Fleming Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said people fleeing Libya "are faced with numerous military checkpoints, they are robbed of all their valuables, they are being harassed and intimidated." UNTV

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:35
• Production Date: 18 March 2011
• Asset Language: Original
• Subject Topical: PEACE AND SECURITY; DISARMAMENT; DECOLONIZATION; TRUST TERRITORIES; APARTHEID
• Geographic Subject: LIBYA
• MAMS Id: U110318a

Description

STORY: GENEVA / LIBYA HUMAN RIGHTS
TRT: 1:35
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 8 MARCH 2011, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / RECENT

RECENT - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot, exterior UN Geneva headquarters

8 MARCH 2011, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2. Med shot, journalists
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Melissa Fleming, Spokesperson, High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations:
"We’re getting the same accounts that they are faced with numerous military checkpoints, they are robbed of all their valuables, they are being harassed and intimidated, (similar numbers). One thing we did note though yesterday, our people at the border were hearing the sound of gunfire consistently throughout the day.”
4. Cutaway, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rupert Colville, Spokesperson, High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations:
“We’re extremely worried about reprisals, about pro government forces and security agents in Libya. No one knows what’s been going on in the towns recaptured and what’s going on in the prisons and other state security premises across the country. We are very concerned that the government could resort to collective punishment and we have no illusions about what this regime is capable of.”
6. Cutaway, journalists
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrew Harper, Co-ordinator, High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations:
“We have to be responsive, we’ll see over the coming days what will be the impact, whether there’ll be an increase in fighting, whether the situation stabilises, whether people feel more confident remaining in Libya – that includes Libyans as well as non Libyans. So it’s purely speculative at the moment, so it would be irresponsible to say anything in that regard.”
8. Med shot, journalists

Storyline

The Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed grave concern about reprisals in Libya saying “we have no illusions about what this regime is capable of.”

Speaking to journalists in Geneva today (18 Mar) Rupert Colville, Spokesperson, said High Commissioner Navi Pillay welcomed the decision of the UN Security Council to impose a no fly zone over Libya.

The resolution calls for the ban of all flights in Libyan airspace, except those that are delivering humanitarian assistance.

The Council authorized Member States to take 'all necessary measures' to enforce the ban and to coordinate with the United Nations on the measures they are taking to implement the ban.

At the same press conference the UN’s refugee agency warned of a growing number of Libyan’s fleeing the country but would not speculate on how the no fly zone would impact on the refugee numbers.