The tribe of slain Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi is urging the National Transitional Council to hand over his body to to be buried in his hometown of Sirte according to Islamic rules.
The tribe said in a statement that "we call on the UN, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and Amnesty International to force the National Transitional Council to hand over the martyrs' bodies to our tribe in Sirte and to allow them to perform their burial ceremony in accordance with Islamic customs and rule."
Qaddafi's blood-streaked body was on display on October 22 in a commercial freezer at a shopping center in the city of Misrata, where a coroner was expected to conduct an autopsy.
Libyan authorities have been arguing about what to do with his remains since he was killed in Sirte on October 20.
They delayed his burial after the United Nations and other international groups urged Libya's transitional authorities to conduct an investigation and provide a full account of his death.
Video clips showing him bloodied but alive (WARNING: graphic images) in the hands of fighters suggest he was abused after being captured.
Qaddafi ruled Libya with virtually unchecked brutality for more than four decades following a coup d'etat to oust an aging monarch in 1969.
Meanwhile, the NATO alliance has said its air campaign aimed at protecting civilians under a UN mandate will be wrapped up by October 31.
Russia, which has been critical of the Western military mission in Libya, has called on the UN Security Council to lift the no-fly zone over Libya and the authorization of international military force under which NATO was acting.
Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said on October 21 that he had circulated a draft resolution at the Security Council to lift the no-fly resolution, passed in March.
compiled from agency reports
The tribe said in a statement that "we call on the UN, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and Amnesty International to force the National Transitional Council to hand over the martyrs' bodies to our tribe in Sirte and to allow them to perform their burial ceremony in accordance with Islamic customs and rule."
Qaddafi's blood-streaked body was on display on October 22 in a commercial freezer at a shopping center in the city of Misrata, where a coroner was expected to conduct an autopsy.
Libyan authorities have been arguing about what to do with his remains since he was killed in Sirte on October 20.
They delayed his burial after the United Nations and other international groups urged Libya's transitional authorities to conduct an investigation and provide a full account of his death.
Video clips showing him bloodied but alive (WARNING: graphic images) in the hands of fighters suggest he was abused after being captured.
Qaddafi ruled Libya with virtually unchecked brutality for more than four decades following a coup d'etat to oust an aging monarch in 1969.
Meanwhile, the NATO alliance has said its air campaign aimed at protecting civilians under a UN mandate will be wrapped up by October 31.
Russia, which has been critical of the Western military mission in Libya, has called on the UN Security Council to lift the no-fly zone over Libya and the authorization of international military force under which NATO was acting.
Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said on October 21 that he had circulated a draft resolution at the Security Council to lift the no-fly resolution, passed in March.
compiled from agency reports