Abu Salim prison
Encyclopedia
Abu Salim prison is a top security prison
in Tripoli, Libya which was often described as notorious for mistreatment and human rights abuses by human rights activists and other observers before the overthrow of the government
of 40 years standing in 2011.
has called for an independent inquiry
into deaths that occurred there in 1996, an incident which some have referred to as the Abu Salim prison massacre. Human Rights Watch
believes that 1,270 prisoners were killed. However, its estimate is mostly based on the account of a single former inmate. HRW also calls the prison a "site of egregious human rights violations." Some say that Western governments largely ignored this and no international inquiry was launched, due to "oil interests". The Libyan government said in 2009, then controlled by the same people as at the time of the event, that the killings took place amid confrontation between the government and rebels from the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group
, and that some 200 guards were killed too. In January 2011, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya confirmed that it was carrying out an investigation into the incident along with international investigators. Statements made in an interview with the BBC by the captured Mansour Dhao
, a prominent figure in the Gaddafi regime, provides further evidence for the massacre.
On 25 September 2011, soon after the previous government had been overthrown, the governing National Transitional Council
(NTC) said that a mass grave had been discovered outside the prison. Khalid al-Sherif, a military spokesman for the NTC, said that the grave was located based on information from captured former regime officials. He stated: "We have discovered the truth about what the Libyan people have been waiting for many years, and it is the bodies and remains of the Abu Salim massacre." Ibrahim Abu Shim, a member of the committee looking for mass graves, said that investigators believed 1,270 people were buried in the grave but the NTC needed help from the international community to find and identify the remains as they lacked the sophisticated equipment needed for DNA testing. However, investigators from CNN and other organizations found only what appeared to be animal bones at the site.
by families of detainees who were killed in Abu Salim prison in 1996, and videos of family members of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi
at parties. The blocking was criticized by Human Rights Watch
.
the prison was captured by the rebels on August 24th and all prisoners were set free. Among those confirmed to have been freed was volunteer rebel fighter Matthew VanDyke
from Baltimore, Maryland, USA, a member of a rebel unit captured by the Libyan Army in Brega
in March. An international campaign to free VanDyke had described him as a "writer and journalist," but it was later revealed that he was a rebel fighter and prisoner of war.
Supermax
Supermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons, which represent the most secure levels of custody in the prison systems of certain countries...
in Tripoli, Libya which was often described as notorious for mistreatment and human rights abuses by human rights activists and other observers before the overthrow of the government
2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
of 40 years standing in 2011.
Allegations of human rights abuses
Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
has called for an independent inquiry
Public inquiry
A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...
into deaths that occurred there in 1996, an incident which some have referred to as the Abu Salim prison massacre. Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
believes that 1,270 prisoners were killed. However, its estimate is mostly based on the account of a single former inmate. HRW also calls the prison a "site of egregious human rights violations." Some say that Western governments largely ignored this and no international inquiry was launched, due to "oil interests". The Libyan government said in 2009, then controlled by the same people as at the time of the event, that the killings took place amid confrontation between the government and rebels from the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group
Libyan Islamic Movement formerly known as The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group also known as Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyyah al-Muqatilah bi-Libya is a group active in Libya which played a key role in deposing Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime, allying itself with the National Transitional Council.However...
, and that some 200 guards were killed too. In January 2011, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya confirmed that it was carrying out an investigation into the incident along with international investigators. Statements made in an interview with the BBC by the captured Mansour Dhao
Mansour Dhao
Mansour Dhao Ibrahim, sometimes spelled Dao or Daw, is a former Libyan politician. He was a prominent figure in the Gaddafi regime, serving as Muammar Gaddafi's chief of security prior to the fall of Sirte and Gaddafi's death. Dhao was the leader of the regime's People's Guard.Dhao fled with...
, a prominent figure in the Gaddafi regime, provides further evidence for the massacre.
On 25 September 2011, soon after the previous government had been overthrown, the governing National Transitional Council
National Transitional Council
The National Transitional Council of Libya , sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, the Interim National Council, or the Libyan National Council,...
(NTC) said that a mass grave had been discovered outside the prison. Khalid al-Sherif, a military spokesman for the NTC, said that the grave was located based on information from captured former regime officials. He stated: "We have discovered the truth about what the Libyan people have been waiting for many years, and it is the bodies and remains of the Abu Salim massacre." Ibrahim Abu Shim, a member of the committee looking for mass graves, said that investigators believed 1,270 people were buried in the grave but the NTC needed help from the international community to find and identify the remains as they lacked the sophisticated equipment needed for DNA testing. However, investigators from CNN and other organizations found only what appeared to be animal bones at the site.
Inmates of Abu Salim prison
- Ahmed al-SenussiAhmed al-SenussiAhmed Al-Zubair al-Senussi, also known as Zubeir Ahmed El-Sharif, is a Libyan member of the Senussi house and a member of the National Transitional Council representing political prisoners. He is a great-nephew of Idris of Libya, the only king of Libya, and was named after his grandfather Ahmed...
, a current member of the NTC, was held here by Gaddafi until his release in 2001. - Abu Sufian bin QumuAbu Sufian bin QumuAbu Sufian Ibrahim Ahmed Hamuda Bin Qumu is a citizen of Libya who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba....
, a former LIFGLibyan Islamic Fighting GroupLibyan Islamic Movement formerly known as The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group also known as Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyyah al-Muqatilah bi-Libya is a group active in Libya which played a key role in deposing Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime, allying itself with the National Transitional Council.However...
member, was transferred from Guantanamo to Libya in 2007, and was released from Abu Salim prison in 2010 following an amnesty for political prisoners.
YouTube videos
On January 24, 2010, the Libyan authorities blocked access to YouTube after it featured videos of demonstrations in the Libyan city of BenghaziBenghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
by families of detainees who were killed in Abu Salim prison in 1996, and videos of family members of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
at parties. The blocking was criticized by Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
.
Prison escape 2011
During the 2011 Libyan Civil War2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
the prison was captured by the rebels on August 24th and all prisoners were set free. Among those confirmed to have been freed was volunteer rebel fighter Matthew VanDyke
Matthew VanDyke
Matthew VanDyke is an American journalist and documentary filmmaker. He gained notoriety during the 2011 Libyan civil war as a freedom fighter and prisoner of war ....
from Baltimore, Maryland, USA, a member of a rebel unit captured by the Libyan Army in Brega
Brega
Brega may refer to:*Brega , an inhabited location in Libya**Marsa Brega Airport, the airport for Brega-People:...
in March. An international campaign to free VanDyke had described him as a "writer and journalist," but it was later revealed that he was a rebel fighter and prisoner of war.
See also
- Politics of LibyaPolitics of LibyaThe politics of Libya are currently in a phase of transition.As a result of the collapse of the Gaddafi government in August 2011 due to the 2011 Libyan civil war, Libya is under de facto administration of the National Transitional Council...
- Human rights in LibyaHuman rights in LibyaThe Kingdom of Libya, from 1951 to 1969, was heavily influenced and educated by the British and American oil companies. The King was very westernized and Libya also had a constitution. The kingdom, however, was marked by a feudal regime, where Libya had a low literacy rate of 10%, a low life...
- List of massacres in Libya