Two French lawyers said they planned to initiate legal proceedings against French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday for crimes against humanity over the NATO-led military campaign in Libya.

Jacques Verges and Roland Dumas (R and L in the photo respectively) offered to represent the families who fell victims of the NATO bombing campaign.

Dumas, a former socialist minister, said the NATO mission, which was meant to protect civilians, was in fact killing them.

He denounced what he described as ’a brutal assault against a sovereign country’ and said he defends victims of NATO bombings.