International pressure is mounting on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, whose violent crackdown on opposition protesters has drawn widespread condemnation.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, says there are reports of mass killings in Libya that should spur the international community to step in to end the violence.
Pillay spoke at an emergency session of the U.N. Human Rights Council Friday in Geneva.
"We owe them [the Libyan people] our solidarity and protection from violence," she said.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Friday the 27-nation bloc should consider "restrictive measures" against Libya, including travel bans and asset freezes.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that alliance is also considering the situation in Libya.
There were earlier calls for EU and US sanctions against Libya.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
