Thursday 8 September 2011

On radio 4 this morning (Libya content)

They had a reporter visit one of the prisons previously used by the old regime to hold political prisoners, now being used to hold those accused of fighting for Gaddafi. The description was a place of overcrowded filthiness, with sick and injured people who needed to be able to lay down & rest while getting decent food, fresh air and sunshine.

First interview was of a Liberian man, accused of being a mercenary but who claimed to have been a worker. He was articulate, spoke of there being no proof of him having been a mercenary, but actually *sounded* as though he could have been a mercenary (he sounded too sharp to be a simple labourer).

Next up was a young woman. She told a story of having been abducted, raped by the head of security before being drafted into their services. Shortly before the fall of Tripoli she had been forced to shoot prisoners at gun point. Her words were clearly spoken in distress, and it sounded very much as though she'd been through a system to break her will and character. This nearly had me in tears.

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