The Second Criminal Chamber of the Tripoli Court of Appeal has postponed the hearing in the long-running case related to the Abu Salim Prison Massacre until April 12, while ordering the continued detention of the defendants involved in the trial.
The decision was announced during the court’s fourteenth session reviewing the case connected to the 1996 killings inside Abu Salim Prison in Tripoli. The massacre remains one of the most controversial and tragic events in Libya’s modern history, as approximately 1,275 prisoners were killed during a violent crackdown inside the facility.
During the latest court session, several of the most prominent defendants were absent from the live broadcast of the proceedings. Among those who did not appear were Abdullah Al Senussi and Mansour Dhao, both of whom held senior positions in Libya’s security apparatus at the time of the incident.
However, other defendants were present during the session, including Wajdi Al Thabet and Abdelkader Al Werfalli. Their appearance was part of the ongoing legal proceedings aimed at determining responsibility for the events that took place nearly three decades ago.
The Abu Salim prison massacre has remained a deeply sensitive issue in Libya, symbolizing broader debates about accountability for past abuses and the challenges of pursuing justice after years of political turmoil. Since the fall of the former regime in 2011, the case has been repeatedly revisited in the courts as authorities attempt to address one of the most serious human rights violations in the country’s history.
