The anniversary of the Abu-Saleem Prison Massacre took place June, 29, 2011 followed by protests in Libya. But before speaking about the anniversary, I’d like to explain Abu-Saleem and why it is remembered.
The Abu-Saleem Prison Massacre of 1996 is a huge story in Libya and one of the most chilling. Abu-Saleem is a prison in Tripoli, Libya and it is where political prisoners are sent. According to the report written by the Human Rights Watch in June, 27, 2006 the men in the prison were frustrated by “restricted family visits and poor living conditions”. The prisoners had seized a guard and had escaped from their cells. The guards shot at the prisoners and injured some. The prisoners who were injured were taken for medical treatment. Abdullah Sanussi and Nasr Al-Mabrouk arrived and had four men chosen by the prisoners to represent the prisoners. Sanussi and Al-Mabrouk told them to release the two guards they’d taken prisoner (however one had died) and they would deal with the physical conditions of their demands. The demands were, better medical care, outside recreation, family visits, clean clothes and an actual trial.
Later, prisoners from blocks 1,3,4,5 and 6 were moved into the courtyards. After this, grenades were thrown into the courtyards and men were perched with Kalashnikov guns to shoot the prisoners. Afterwards, they went through the bodies with pistols to shoot anyone still alive.
The prisoners were buried in a mass grave.
This happened in 1996. What had happened in Abu-Saleem started to leak out to families by the Libyan Authority that their family members were dead. But only in April 2004 was it announced that the atrocities of Abu-Saleem had taken place. This is 8 years after it had happened.
Libya AlHurra broadcasts from the North Court in Benghazi and on the anniversary of the Abu-Saleem Massacre these old women were speaking about the sons they lost in Abu-Saleem Prison. They said they had lost contact with their sons long before they found out. They’d prepare food and clothes and letters and videos for their sons, husbands, brothers, uncles and take it all the way to Abu-Saleem. For years they weren’t allowed to see them, but the guards in Abu-Saleem would take these items ‘for the prisoner’. The guards would eat the food, take the gifts and clothes and an ex-prisoner from Abu-Saleem said that they would sell the videos that the families had sent for their relatives. All this, and the man had been dead from 8 years earlier. Why? Because not only were they in prison for challenging the regime, but for asking for basic human rights.
There were 1269 men killed in Abu-Saleem, June, 29, 1996.
On June, 29, 2011 there was a protest for the 15th anniversary of the massacre. The protest was huge, and the first real protest on the anniversary in Libya. The protest was to start from a location in downtown Benghazi and end in the North Court. The amount of people who were there was incredible. The flag was everywhere. Women, children, men, all chanting for the fall of the regime and honouring the men killed.
The most powerful moment of the whole protest was when the children of the men who were killed in Abu-Saleem joined us in the protest. They walked in a line-up in the middle of the crowd, with pictures of their fathers hung around their necks.
We ended up in the North Court and the chants began and a small speech was said to the images of the dead men from Abu-Saleem staring out from old photographs.
Details on the Abu-Saleem Prison Massacre were taken from the Human’s Rights Watch (http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2006/06/27/libya-june-1996-killings-abu-salim-prison).
Source- Mukhtar’s Libya
Good Lord. What monsters has Gadaffi created?
Comment by Terry Olson — July 3, 2011 @ 03:03
My humble homage to the Martyr’s of Abu-Saleem. From their Sacrifice. a better world is coming. And for that, I am grateful:
God be with the Martyr’s and their Loved Ones. May the Living and their families remember oved Ones and the Generations they will bring forth remember: the deaths of these Loved Men did not die needlessly, and their spirits are overjoyed that you have taken the fallen banner and marched on. With their blood, they built a foundation upon which the youth of today can stand taller and reach higher, fight harder and win, dream bigger, and awake to a New Libya.
The Martyr’s of Abu-Saleem did not pull down the walls of the Katiba with their own hands. Yet, everyone knows they were there, adding muscle to the push, adding their voices to the shouts of “Allu-Akbar”.
The physical bodies of the Martry’s of Abu-Saleem have not stood shoulder-to-shoulder amongst the protesters, fighters and mourners, but the Martyr’s spirits have hovered over them, bringing courage, pride and determination to all those who welcome it.
In the winds that blow…in the still moments after splinters, stones and shattered glass drop from swirling dusts to faceless heaps…in the still moments when you can feel the pulse of your soul, listen. The Martyr’s of Abu-Saleem desire to be heard. Each one, in their own way, thought and wished for the same things moments before their bodies were taken. Now that you are entering the dreams they had for you, it is time for you to hear it and understand:
Loved Ones! With Joy I call out to you! I dreamed these days would finally come! There’s no need to miss me. Wipe your tears. I’ve lived in your dreams and now you are living mine. We are reunited–your heart beats for us both, our soul embrace and our minds are focused on the tasks before us.
Now, we march together. I am with you. When you shout, you will hear me. When you fight, you will have the strength of us both. When you hurt, I’ll give you comfort and help you heal. And when the Evil has left our lands, our tears of joy will flow together.
Take me, please, when you can, to Abu-Saleem, so I can be reunited with the souls that martyred with me. They will meet me there, along with those they too have watched over.
When we arrive at Abu-Saleem, let us sing and dance with them, if you would be so kind, for we have all helped win over evil, and bring our country back from insanity, fear & depravity.
We, the Martyr’s of Abu-Saleem, are joyous, dear Loved Ones. We are so blessed to see you here for dawn of a New Libya. We are proud with you that our families, our neighbors, indeed, the whole world, can see that a Nation of Good People can Triumph over the Devil that chained them.
Dear Loved Ones, you never lost us, and we never lost you. We started on the road and we are finishing together. We waited for this hour, when your Goodness was ripe for harvest, and his Evil was so rancid the world began to wretch.
We lost our bodies in Abu-Saleem, but we win a bright future for our families and our country.
Gaddafi, curse his name, lost his future in Abu-Saleem. The seeds of your future were born there.
We will help you finish what we helped start. You make us proud. Now, come. Let us rest and get to work.
Allu-Akbar
Comment by Ben Major — July 4, 2011 @ 06:52
Quote ‘Gaddafi, curse his name, lost his future in Abu-Saleem. The seeds of your future were born there.’Unquote
I love this phrase … I cannot wait to see the downfall of Gaddafi and the rest of the non-humans surrounding him.
God is Great.
Comment by kay — July 17, 2011 @ 12:55
I’ve done volunteer work for Amnesty International and i’m aware of the well deserved reputation of Human Rights Watch. This massacre is well documented and the behavior of the regime outrageous. However the regime was so successful at keeping the whole thing a secret that all the world had was rumours for years about it. Talk about cruel to those who lost loved ones.
Gadaffi involved Libya in a whole series of unsuccessful foreign wars and absurd ventures that cost thousands of Libyans their lives. Hopefully soon someone will be brought to book concerning that also.
Comment by Pacal — August 29, 2011 @ 01:01