War crimes have been committed in Libya: UN

UN human rights experts said on Monday they have found evidence of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Libya.

The Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya, set up by the UN Human Rights Council, said migrants and detainees were particularly exposed to violations.

"There are reasonable grounds to believe that war crimes have been committed in Libya, while violence perpetrated in prisons and against migrants there may amount to crimes against humanity," the mission said in a statement.

"All parties to the conflicts, including third states, foreign fighters and mercenaries, have violated international humanitarian law, in particular the principles of proportionality and distinction, and some have also committed war crimes," said Mohamed Auajjar, who chaired the three-person mission.

The report chronicles accounts of crimes like murder, torture, enslavement, extrajudicial killings and rape.

All sides bear responsibility for the crimes

The mission collected and reviewed hundreds of documents, interviewed over 150 people and carried out investigations in Libya, Tunisia and Italy.

It said that all sides in the nation's conflict — both Libyan and foreign groups — bear responsibility for the atrocities and crimes.

Violations are committed "on a widespread scale" by state and non-state actors, "with a high level of organization and with the encouragement of the state — all of which is suggestive of crimes against humanity," the report said.