Thirty years after the Abu Salim Prison Massacre

Ref: PRS 2026/06/1058

June 29, 2026

Thirty years after the Abu Salim Prison Massacre

The Truth is Known, Justice is Absent, and Impunity has reached its Peak

Today, Monday 29 June 2026, marks the 30th anniversary of the Abu Salim Prison massacre,  the cold‑blooded execution of nearly 1,200 unarmed detainees inside a state‑run prison, in one of the worst mass killings in Libya’s modern history.

Thirty years have passed, yet justice has not been delivered, truth has not been honored, and the families of the victims still do not know where the remains of their loved ones lie.

A Fully Documented Crime, beyond Doubt or Interpretation

Over the past decade, LHRS has documented, through survivor testimonies, official security archives, and sworn statements by senior Gaddafi officials, that the massacre was a deliberate, planned mass killing, conceived and executed by:

• Abdullah al‑Senussi, head of Military Intelligence,
• Senior security and military leaders, and
• With direct knowledge and approval from Muammar Gaddafi.

Ahmed Ramadan, Gaddafi’s chief of staff, provided sworn testimony confirming that al‑Senussi was the architect of the massacre.

The indictment issued by the Office of the Public Prosecutor includes more than 100 eyewitness testimonies detailing the roles of the defendants and the method of execution.

The Libyan Judiciary: Three Decades of Failure, and a Decade of Deliberate Obstruction

Since 2011, LHRS has monitored the case before the Libyan courts. Across its annual statements (2016–2025), LHRS documented a persistent pattern of:

• Repeated delays,
• Unexplained recusals,
• Release of defendants without justification,
• Attempts to dismiss the case,
• Failure to enforce arrest warrants,
• Absence of key defendants,
• Lack of transparency, and
• Lack of judicial will.

In 2026, this failure reached its peak when the Tripoli Court of Appeals, Thirteenth Criminal Chamber issued a ruling acquitting Abdullah al‑Senussi and 31 senior regime officials of war crimes and crimes against humanity, without any legal reasoning.

This ruling is not merely a judicial error. It is a grave betrayal of justice.

The Tripoli Court of Appeals Has Lost Its Impartiality

After 30 years of waiting, and more than 13 years of litigation, it is now clear that:

• The Tripoli Court of Appeals cannot adjudicate the case,
• The Tripoli Court of Appeals will not adjudicate the case,
• The Tripoli Court of Appeals has shown bias, and
• The Tripoli Court of Appeals has obstructed justice.

The repeated attempts to dismiss the case, the release of defendants, the disregard for Supreme Court rulings, and the refusal to enforce arrest warrants demonstrate that the court is no longer a neutral judicial body.

The Supreme Court Is Now the Only Institution Capable of Delivering Justice

Under Article (25) of Law No. 6 of 1982 “on reorganizing the Supreme Court”: The Supreme Court may rule directly on the merits of a case if it overturns the appealed judgment and the matter is ready for adjudication.

Given that:

• The Supreme Court has already ruled that the massacre is a crime against humanity,
• The evidence is complete,
• The defendants are known,
• The testimonies are documented,
• The Court of Appeals has failed,
• The Court of Appeals has issued unlawful rulings, and
• The Court of Appeals has lost impartiality.

LHRS calls on the Supreme Court to:

1. Assume direct jurisdiction over the case,
2. Overturn the acquittal of al‑Senussi and others,
3. Issue immediate arrest warrants for all defendants,
4. Halt any release or reconciliation measures involving the defendants,
5. Ensure public hearings and full transparency, and
6. Protect the families of the victims from intimidation.

Reconciliation Cannot Come at the Expense of Justice

Any attempt to release the defendants under the pretext of “reconciliation,” “health conditions,” or “political necessity” is an attempt to entrench impunity and undermine social peace.

True reconciliation requires:

• Truth
• Accountability
• Reparations
• Guarantees of non‑recurrence

It cannot be built on erasing crimes or absolving perpetrators.

A Message to the Families of the Victims

To every mother who lost a son, To every father still waiting for answers, To every family that never received a body, To every child who grew up with an unanswered question:

We will not stop. We will not be silent. We will not compromise. And we will not allow the truth to be buried with the victims.

LHRS Demands on the 30th Anniversary

1. Direct intervention by the Supreme Court under Article (25) of Law (6) of 1982,
2. Annulment of the acquittal of al‑Senussi and senior regime officials, in criminal case No. (630_2014), the case of suppressing the February 17 Revolution,
3. Execution of arrest warrants for all defendants,
4. Disclosure of the fate and location of the victims’ remains,
5. Accountability for any judge or official who obstructed the case,
6. Activation of transitional justice mechanisms under Law No. 29 (2013),
7. Use of universal jurisdiction if justice continues to be obstructed in Libya,
8. Protection for the families of the victims, and
9. Recognition of 29 June as a national day of memory and justice.

Conclusion

Thirty years have passed, but the crime has not expired, the right has not died, and justice has not been buried.

The Abu Salim Prison massacre is not merely a dark chapter in Libya’s history, it is a continuing test of the state’s conscience, and of its ability to confront the truth.

LHRS, together with the families of the victims, remains steadfast:

No reconciliation without justice. No justice without accountability. No accountability without an independent judiciary.

Human Rights Solidarity Organization

Tripoli, Libya
June 29, 2026