Libyan rebels looted and beat civilians, rights group says

Libyan rebels have looted and burned homes and abused civilians, a human rights group said Tuesday.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said that, in “four towns captured by rebels in the Nafusa Mountains over the past month, rebel fighters and supporters have damaged property, burned some homes, looted from hospitals, homes, and shops, and beaten some individuals alleged to have supported government forces.”

The accusations came as rebel forces inside Libya managed to retake a village from Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi ‘s forces, and rebel leaders were in Europe meeting with NATO officials and the European Commission.

Mahmoud Jibril, chairman of the executive board of the opposition Transitional National Council, said the complaints represent only a “few incidents” that “took place in the very early days of the revolution, and we’ve been investigating those cases. We are against any human rights violation whomever is the source of those violations.” Those responsible are “going to be brought to justice,” he vowed.

Jibril spoke at a news conference after meeting with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in Brussels, Belgium.