Libya: Secret prisons in former Gaddafi stronghold

Recent video footage from Libya shows evidence that Colonel Gaddafi's regime is using deadly force against Libyan citizens. According to accounts, violent measures were used against citizens prior to the recent popular uprising.

Alkarama is currently investigating and documenting the human rights violations that have taken place in Libya since the uprising began in mid-February. The current focus in on four main areas: extrajudicial killing of peaceful demonstrators; enforced disappearances and missing persons since the demonstrations; Gaddafi's regime's use of mercenaries against Libya citizens; and the use of military planes against civilians.

Alkarama has been conducting field research in many eastern Libyan towns now under the control of rebel forces. The eastern areas are littered with destruction and scars of a genocide perpetrated by Gaddafi's forces and various hired mercenaries. Gaddafi used aerial weapons and heavy artillery against civilians and demonstrators in the towns of Benghazi, Brega and other towns.

Alkarama was able to visit Al-Faisal Brigade camp at Bu-Amar, after it came under rebel control. The camp is one of the Gaddafi regime's former security strongholds, and various underground secret prisons have since been discovered by rebel forces.

An eyewitness said that the day camp fell into the rebel hands, he was able to free of seven people who were imprisoned incommunicado.

One of the civilians wounded in the aerial bombardment, Ali Mahmoud Salih, 23, said, "I was trying to protect Bright Star University in Brega on 1 March 2011 along with a group of young men when a fighter jet flew in a began firing on us." Salih was wounded in the pelvis and the foot, and was then taken to the hospital, where he is currently receiving treatment.

Salim Hussein Atiyyah Al-Jarrari's testimony details the aerial bombings that took place while he was driving his car with his wife and three children. All of them were severely injured in the attack.