Sooq al-Jumu’a – Tripoli – Libya
Mitiga Detention Center (prison) is located at Mitiga Airbase, which is about 8 Km to the East of Tripoli City Center, Martyrs Square.
The Airbase is currently used as Tripoli’s temporary airport, since the closure of Tripoli International Airport in July 2014.
The prison is controlled by a local militia from Sooq al-Jumu’a district. It is called the “Special Deterrence Force” (SDF). The
commander of SDF is Abdulmonem Kara, and the SDF is comprised mainly from followers of an ultraconservative religious group,
they call themselves Salafi, but many call them Madakhila, because they are followers of a Saudi Sheikh, Sheikh Rabi’a al-Madkhali,
hence the name, who lives in Jeddah Saudi Arabia.
The following is based from analyzing Google ® Maps satellite images. The prison did not exist before 2011. Up to May 2012, the
site, the South West area of the airbase, had 3 old warehouses. Sometime late May and early June 2012, the SDF started
refurbishing and adding buildings and a high wall around the site. By end of 2012 the 3 warehouses were turned into a prison by
the construction of the wall and adding what appeared as guard or administrative rooms. No more construction was done till
February 2015.
From February 2015 the prison expansion work picked up pace, by February 2016 the expansion to 9 cell-blocks was completed. A
couple of buildings were added in the north east corner of the prison, the “guesthouse”, a holding area with larger cells and less
crowded. The guesthouse serves like a rehabilitation area, where detainees are held for a period to recover (gain weight) before
being released. Also in the guesthouse they must attend study circles, where they are taught the Madkhali ideology.
In November 2016, work started on the area north of the prison complex, to make an area for the detainees to walk around and
catch some sunlight. The area was completed between 5
th & 9
th September 2017. A satellite image shows few people in the area.
According to a detainee, released recently from Mitiga, one cell-block, of the 9 cell blocks, at a time is allowed 1 hour in the area,
and a detainee gets its chance to breath fresh air and catch a glimpse of sunshine once every 3 days, that is if the guards do not
change their mind and for reason or no reason deprive the detainee, or whole group of detainees, to get this “privilege”.
Web: www.hrsly.org | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/LHumanRightsSolidarity/ | Twitter: @HRSolidarity
Human Rights Solidarity is registered as a Local None Governmental Organization in Libya, registration number (20160327-01-589)
Introduction (2/2):
Mitiga Detention Center (prison) occupies an area (100m by 80m) ~8000 m2. Its 9 cell blocks holds about 2600 detainees,
according to the report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. According to a detainee released
recently, typically a cell (5m by 3m) holds more than 30 detainees. So extremely overcrowded that they take rounds in sleeping
hours; detainees stand for 6 hours to lave space on the floor for a group sleep.
The detainees are literally starving;
• Breakfast: every morning after dawn, a small piece of bread and either a small piece of cheese or a small portion of jam,
and once every week a one liter of milk,
• Lunch: after midday a bowl of pasta or rice, without meat or vegetables, for 12-17 people,
• Dinner: Broth (soup) and bread, and
• Breaking fast in Ramadan: one date is shared by three people, and then either pasta or rice.
Because of the overcrowding, lack of fresh air, poor hygiene, and extreme malnutrition, detainees lost weight and became very
weak. This exposed them to diseases, infectious ones like tuberculosis and scabies, and chronic diseases. Many lost their lives. At
the end of this file, there are slides which show two detainees who died in custody because of the inhumane conditions and lack of
medical treatment or care
