A cousin and one of the closest aides of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Ahmed Gadhaf al-Dam, has defected to Egypt in protest against the clampdown on protesters, Al Jazeera reported Thursday.
Gadhaf al-Dam's entourage in Cairo issued a statement saying he "denounces grave violations of human rights, human and international laws" that occurred in Libya when Gaddafi crushed protest rallies.
Earlier Libya's interior and justice ministers, as well as some Libyan ambassadors, sided with the protesters.
The European Union is considering implementing sanctions against Gaddafi as the authorities in the North African country continue to use violent methods to quash a prolonged uprising.
Reports say up to 1,000 people have been killed in fighting between demonstrators and pro-Gaddafi forces and some 4,000 have been wounded since protests against longtime leader Gaddafi's regime began February 15.
The proposed sanctions include a freeze on Gaddafi's assets a travel ban for Gaddafi and his associates, and an arms embargo.
MOSCOW, February 24 (RIA Novosti)
