September 14, 2011 11:35 PM

Red Cross: 13 Libya mass graves found

In this picture taken Wednesday Sept 7, 2011, Libyan women pay respect on the tombs of relatives reburied after been unearthed from a mass grave of 35 men in Galaa, Nafusa mountains, about 60 miles from Tripoli, Libya, Friday, Sept. 9, 2011. (AP Photo)

GENEVA — The International Committee of the Red Cross says at least 13 mass graves have been found in Libya over the past three weeks.

The Geneva-based Red Cross says its staff assisted in the recovery of 125 bodies found at 12 different sites in and around Tripoli.

It says remains of 34 people were also recovered from a site in the Nafusa mountain village of Galaa in western Libya.

ICRC spokesman Steven Anderson said Wednesday that more mass graves are being found every week.

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The aid group says it is helping ensure the remains are properly recovered so that the identities of the dead can be established and relatives informed.

It said it is not involved in collecting evidence that could be used in war crimes or other legal proceedings.

Rebels fighting to topple Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi committed unlawful killings and torture, Amnesty International said in a report released on Tuesday.

The 100-plus page report, based on three months of investigation in Libya, draws no equivalency between the crimes of Qaddafi loyalists and those of the former rebels, who now hold power in Tripoli: The Qaddafi forces' crimes were greater, the list of them is longer, and they may have amounted to crimes against humanity, the report said.

But it said the crimes of the rebels were not insignificant.

"Members and supporters of the opposition, loosely structured under the leadership of the National Transitional Council (NTC) ... have also committed human rights abuses, in some cases amounting to war crimes, albeit on a smaller scale," the Amnesty report said.

© 2011 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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