No Title For A Sonless Father

Meet Mr. Al Faitouri Bouras Al Werfalli, the father of one of the
1270 inmates murdered in Abu Salim maximum-security prison in
southern Tripoli in 1996. Hanging from his neck is a framed composite
photograph of him and his dead son. As if 1270 people being murdered in
a prison by the prison guards under Gaddafi's order was not outrageous enough,
Mr. Al Faitouri was not even aware of his son's death until 2008.

In many of the countries around the world, the prison system is run much
differently than those in the United States. In Abu Salim prison, the families of
those incarcerated are solely responsible for providing them with food and clothing.
From 1996 until 2008, when Mr. Al Faitouri Bouras Al Werfalli was notified of his sons death,
his wife would prepare meals each day and he would deliver them to the prison for his son,
along with clothing from time to time. During this 12-year period, he was never allowed to visit
or communicate with his son. This gentleman presumed that he was not authorized to see his son,
but that he was alive because he was allowed to drop off items for him. He continuously
dropped off food on a daily basis trusting that the guards would make sure that his son received
the food and clothing, as the guards assured him they would see to it. However, for 12 years,
the guards shared the food and clothing amongst themselves. Sadly, Mr. Al Faitouri Bouras
Al Werfalli's tragic story of abuse at the hands of Libya's prison system is not an uncommon one.

Behind him are posters, banners and photos of the other 1269 victims of mass murder.
Based on the testimony of the local people who lived nearby, all they could hear for a period
of about 2-3 hours was continuous machine gun fire as those 1270 men were gunned down with
AK-47 assault rifles by the prison guards until there was not a single man left standing.
I can only imagine what stories the other 1269 families might have to share...
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