Inside Story

Are sanctions enough?

We ask what the international community can do to protect the Libyan people.

On Saturday, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to impose financial sanctions on the regime of Muammar Gaddafi and to refer Libya to the International Criminal Court. And in an attempt to strengthen this decision, foreign ministers met in Geneva on Monday at a UN Human Rights Council to discuss the future of Libya.
 
But also on the agenda – what action should be taken against Gaddafi and his regime for human rights violations against the Libyan people.
 
But with Gaddafi threatening to cleanse the country house by house, are words enough to protect unarmed Libyan civilians?

Inside Story, with presenter Hazem Sika, discusses with Peggy Hicks, the global advocay director for Human Rights Watch; Azeldin El-Sharif from the British Libyan solidarity campaign for human rights; and Tarik Yousef, a senior research fellow at the Dubai School of Government.

This episode of Inside Story aired from Monday, February 28, 2011.