Today (June 29th-- I'm on the US' West Coast, where it STILL TECHNICALLY is 6/29), 21 years ago, an ominous event, which was one event (of many) which led to the 2011 17 February revolution, occurred.
I'm referring to the Abu Salim prison massacre. A leading human rights organization estimated that 1,270 prisoners were murdered by government, pro-Gaddafi "goons" (for lack of a better term). Figures fluctuate, and the 1,270 number was reached partially based on one former inmate's testimony of how he'd washed the watches of dead prisoners following their slayings.
In 2007, in an attempt to cultivate his reputation as a "reformer", Saif al Islam Gaddafi, who had long criticized his father's regime for the way the massacre was handled, "officially" investigated it as part of his Gaddafi Internation Foundation for Charity Associations.
Perhaps it was also an attempt to delay the inevitable; the Gaddafi regime was unpopular in spite of government protestations to the contrary-- and supposed support from Libyan citizens.
Perhaps it was actual desire to reform the country, right the wrongs, and a desire on the president of the GIFCA's part to encourage transparency.
I don't know, and speculation is not something I care to do. By all means, either the man is the greatest actor and chameleon the world has ever known, one manipulated by his family, or a reformer who tried to right wrongs but failed... miserably.
All I know is that 21 years ago, Libyan prisoners were murdered. Nearly 1,300 of them. Many, if not most, of them were not criminals in the "true" sense of the word, but were behind bars for opposing a repressive, totalitarian regime. At that time, there did not need to be a reason to be behind bars; opposing Gaddafi, speaking out against him or the government, or other similar activities was enough. Being part of an Islamist organization like the LIFG (Libyan Islamic Fighter's Group), which by my Western standards, IS AND WAS a terrorist organization, was another way to find one's self on the other side of prison bars.
This number is roughly equal to the number of prisoners executed since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976 in the United States (the number of executed prisoners is slightly higher).
There's an important difference: those executed in the United States were not political prisoners, were not slaughtered by government goons, but LAWFULLY and humanely put to death.
Their families weren't left to wonder their fate, or worse. Their families weren't themselves imprisoned for questioning what had happened to their loved ones.
It has to be said that I support capital punishment, with reservations: I take issue with how it's administered in the United States. I also take issue with the fact that in the state in which I reside, there is a man who was sentenced to die in March, 1981-- a full two months before my birth-- who is no closer to being executed than he ever has been. In the last election cycle, there were two ballot measures, both of which I voted for, both on capital punishment. One was to abolish the death penalty in this state, the other was to reform it. Neither passed, probably due to the ambiguous language associated with it. That's just a thing here in this state.. I voted against measures I would have otherwise voted for (the plastic bag ban, the health care reform) due to their confusing wording.
But aside from this... 21 years ago, men died. Needlessly. And there STILL are no answers for the families of the 1,300. Imagine having NO WORD about how your loved one lost their life AFTER two decades.
Unfortunately, that's a reality for 1,300 families.
I'm referring to the Abu Salim prison massacre. A leading human rights organization estimated that 1,270 prisoners were murdered by government, pro-Gaddafi "goons" (for lack of a better term). Figures fluctuate, and the 1,270 number was reached partially based on one former inmate's testimony of how he'd washed the watches of dead prisoners following their slayings.
In 2007, in an attempt to cultivate his reputation as a "reformer", Saif al Islam Gaddafi, who had long criticized his father's regime for the way the massacre was handled, "officially" investigated it as part of his Gaddafi Internation Foundation for Charity Associations.
Perhaps it was also an attempt to delay the inevitable; the Gaddafi regime was unpopular in spite of government protestations to the contrary-- and supposed support from Libyan citizens.
Perhaps it was actual desire to reform the country, right the wrongs, and a desire on the president of the GIFCA's part to encourage transparency.
I don't know, and speculation is not something I care to do. By all means, either the man is the greatest actor and chameleon the world has ever known, one manipulated by his family, or a reformer who tried to right wrongs but failed... miserably.
All I know is that 21 years ago, Libyan prisoners were murdered. Nearly 1,300 of them. Many, if not most, of them were not criminals in the "true" sense of the word, but were behind bars for opposing a repressive, totalitarian regime. At that time, there did not need to be a reason to be behind bars; opposing Gaddafi, speaking out against him or the government, or other similar activities was enough. Being part of an Islamist organization like the LIFG (Libyan Islamic Fighter's Group), which by my Western standards, IS AND WAS a terrorist organization, was another way to find one's self on the other side of prison bars.
This number is roughly equal to the number of prisoners executed since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976 in the United States (the number of executed prisoners is slightly higher).
There's an important difference: those executed in the United States were not political prisoners, were not slaughtered by government goons, but LAWFULLY and humanely put to death.
Their families weren't left to wonder their fate, or worse. Their families weren't themselves imprisoned for questioning what had happened to their loved ones.
It has to be said that I support capital punishment, with reservations: I take issue with how it's administered in the United States. I also take issue with the fact that in the state in which I reside, there is a man who was sentenced to die in March, 1981-- a full two months before my birth-- who is no closer to being executed than he ever has been. In the last election cycle, there were two ballot measures, both of which I voted for, both on capital punishment. One was to abolish the death penalty in this state, the other was to reform it. Neither passed, probably due to the ambiguous language associated with it. That's just a thing here in this state.. I voted against measures I would have otherwise voted for (the plastic bag ban, the health care reform) due to their confusing wording.
But aside from this... 21 years ago, men died. Needlessly. And there STILL are no answers for the families of the 1,300. Imagine having NO WORD about how your loved one lost their life AFTER two decades.
Unfortunately, that's a reality for 1,300 families.
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