This stance is my way of showing my protest against the Khadafi regime`s repressive responses to demonstrators. I have also sent a letter to President Moammar Khadafi
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Muhammadiyah leader Din Syamsuddin here Thursday protested the killing of hundreds of civilians by pro-Libyan government soldiers during pro-democracy rallies there.

Syamsuddin said he sent a letter containing his resignation from his membership in two organizations chaired by President Moammar Khadafi.

"The deadly shootings, which have claimed hundreds of lives, are against the principles of Islamic values the two organizations supposedly upholds," said the chairman of Indonesia`s second biggest Islamic organization.

The two Libya-based organizations were the International Council of World Islamic Call Society (WICS) and the World Islamic People`s Leadership (WIPL).

"This stance is my way of showing my protest against the Khadafi regime`s repressive responses to demonstrators. I have also sent a letter to President Moammar Khadafi," he said.

In connection with the latest development of political turmoil in Libya, trans-national news agencies reported that more than 1,000 people had been killed during the country`s uprising.

AFP quoted Moammar Kadhafi`s former protocol chief Nouri el-Mismari as saying that 600 of the dead civilians were in Tripoli alone.

Mismari, who came to France late last year for health reasons, said the insurrection had so far left "more than 1,000 people dead in all of Libya" but did not say what information his estimate was based on.

On Tuesday, Libya`s regime said 300 people had been killed in the protests, but the International Federation for Human Rights (IFHR) said on Wednesday that at least 640 had died.

Mismari whom Tripoli wants extradited said that "mercenaries" were killing masses of people.

The political upheaval in Libya is believed to be part of the domino effect of pro-democracy movement in Egypt, which successfully toppled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

However, Moammar Khadafi himself had reiterated that he would not meet the anti-government demonstrators` demand for his resignation.

Instead he had declared his firm stance that he would remain in power in his recent address to the nation.
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Editor: AA Ariwibowo
Copyright © ANTARA 2011