OIC calls upon Gaddafi govt. to stop oppression in Libya

A 57-member grouping of Islamic countries has described the ongoing oppression in Libya as a ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ and asked Tripoli to stop immediately the violence against innocent people that has resulted in hundreds of casualties. The Organisation of the Islamic Conference said in a statement that the ongoing coercion and oppression in Libya go against Islamic and human values.

The Libyan Interior Ministry has put the death toll in over a week of violence at 300, but Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini has claimed that the crackdown has killed as many as 1,000 people. The OIC called on the Libyan authorities to stop immediately violence against innocent Libyans, which has resulted in hundreds of casualties. It emphasized the need to address their claims peacefully and through serious dialogue instead of assassination and blood shedding.

The OIC emphasized that peoples have the right to express their legitimate claims in a peaceful and civilized way. The OIC is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations which has membership of 57 states spread over four continents.