The bodies of 53 Gaddafi loyalists have been found at a hotel in the Libyan city of Sirte after apparently¹ being executed, a human rights group says.

一个人权组织称，53名卡扎菲支持者的尸首在苏尔特城内一所宾馆内被发现，很明显他们是被处决致死。

killings³" src="http://www.enread.com/upimg/allimg/111025/1_111025064425_1.jpg" width="304" height="171" />
Human Rights Watch have called on Libya's new government to investigate the killings
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the victims - some of whom had their hands bound - died about a week ago.

It is the latest accusation⁴ of atrocities⁵（暴行，残忍） in Libya committed by both sides during the eight-month conflict.

Libya's new rulers have denied any involvement in abuses and have urged Libyans to forego reprisal⁶（报复） attacks.

The discovery comes a day after jubilant（欢呼的） crowds across the country took to the streets as the interim⁷ government declared national liberation, three days after the death of Muammar Gaddafi.

The acting⁸ Libyan leader, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, said the National Transitional Council (NTC) had formed a committee to investigate how Col Gaddafi died.

There have been accusations⁹ he was executed by NTC troops after his capture in Sirte.

His body is in a cold storage facility in Misrata.

It has been on public view, but the commander at the refrigeration unit told the BBC that the door has now been shut and that the last person has viewed Gaddafi's body.

'Hands bound'

The bodies of the Gaddafi loyalists were found on Sunday on the lawn of the abandoned Hotel Mahari in Sirte, which saw heavy fighting last week as NTC forces battled for control of the city.

"Some had their hands bound behind their backs when they were shot," Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

"This requires the immediate¹⁰ attention of the Libyan authorities to investigate what happened and hold accountable those responsible."

It is not clear who carried out the killings.

HRW said they believed the hotel had been in the hands of anti-Gaddafi forces from Misrata before the killings, and it remained in their control until the fighting in Sirte stopped on 20 October.

On the entrance and walls of the hotel were the names of several anti-Gaddafi brigades（大部队，队列） from Misrata, HRW added.

"The evidence suggests that some of the victims were shot while being held as prisoners, when that part of Sirte was controlled by anti-Gaddafi brigades who appear to act outside the control of the NTC," Mr Bouckaert said.

Many of the victims suffered bullet wounds to the head, according to an AFP reporter who saw them.

Human Rights Watch also said the remains¹¹ of 95 people had been found at the site where Gaddafi was captured. They appeared to have died that same day.

HRW, Amnesty International and other rights groups regularly document incidents of atrocities suspected of being carried out by pro- and anti-Gaddafi forces during the conflict. These include several mass killing² sites found in August.