Survivors of abuse perpetrated and overseen by a Libyan prison director have written a letter to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asking the reason for his release in a press conference at the Chamber of Deputies.
Refugees that were allegedly victims of Libyan warlord Osama al-Masri (also referred to as Almasri, ed. note) have written a letter to the Italian prime minister and took part in a January 29 press conference at the Chamber of Deputies, asking for clarification on why the self-proclaimed general was released.
Masri is the commander of the Mitiga prison and Tripoli branch of the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution, a notorious network of detention centers run by the government-backed Special Defense Forces.
“As survivors and victims of Osama al-Masri, we are asking for the immediate cessation of all accords between Italy and Libya enabling abuse of migrants; a public commitment to request the release of all those imprisoned in Mitiga and other detention centers in Libya; and an official explanation of why Masri — who the Italian government and [interior minister] Piantedosi called dangerous — was released instead of being handed over to the International Criminal Court.”
Detainees forced to remove corpses
The letter goes on to request a “legal pathway for migrants trapped inside Libyan detention centers, including the reopening of the Italian embassy in Tripoli for the obtaining of visas for humanitarian reasons.” Speaking on behalf of the refugees was David Yambio, the Sudanese spokesman for Refugees in Libya. Some refugees showed photos of when they tried to flee the Mitiga prison.
“Masri beat us, tortured us for days,” said Lam Magok, originally from South Sudan, in telling how he had been forced to remove the corpses of people who died. “It was something that I will never forget and it is unthinkable that one might be forced to do this. We want justice.”
‘Shocked’ by Masri’s release and
return to Libya
“The shock was enormous when I learned that Masri had been allowed to return to Libya,” continued Magok. “I have heard that Giorgia Meloni is a Christian and a mother, and I ask her how — as a mother — was it possible to release a person who tortures and kills even children every day.”
Taking part in the press conference promoted by Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra were Nicola Fratoianni, Elly Schlein, Riccardo Magi, Maria Elena Boschi, and Vittoria Baldino. “There was information provided on the Masri case. And it was a flood of hard truths — what happens when the stories of real people come onto the scene,” said one opposition leader at the event.
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