A fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, Phyllis Bennis is author of Calling the Shots: How Washington Dominates Today’s UN.

She said today: “There is no doubt that the military assault on unarmed civilian protesters in cities across Libya constitutes serious violations of international humanitarian law — war crimes — and very possibly crimes against humanity.

The UN Security Council should demand an immediate halt to the attacks, call for immediate access for international humanitarian and human rights workers and refer the issue to the International Court of Justice to initiate on an emergency basis a full investigation and prosecution of those responsible. Governments with ties to the Libyan regime — especially those in Europe and the U.S. — should immediately sever all military ties, withholding any military equipment that may be in the pipeline.

The U.S. should immediately cancel the $165 million contract reportedly signed by General Dynamics two years ago to arm the Libyan military’s elite Second Brigade.