Libya
Journalist held in Libyan prison searches for the man who jailed himPosted Nov 3 2011
Ghaith Abdul-Ahad was seized by Gaddafi forces in Zawiya and held in a Tripoli prison for two weeks. Journalist Abdul-Ahad was one of many jailed by Gaddafi, who accused reporters of being “spies and enemies of Libya,” according to Abdul-Ahad’s narrative of the account on The Guardian.
Months after his release, Abdul-Ahad decided to track down the security guard, only referred to as Hatem, who the journalist encountered during his imprisonment. Abdul-Ahad wanted to find Hatem to understand what Gadhafi’s guards were doing after the regime was toppled. Abdul-Ahad knew only what Hatem looked like and that he worked in one of the many prisons in Tripoli.
After a trip to “the Market”, or the “VIP” prison where Abdul-Ahad and other important prisoners were held, he began to search for the men who helped hold him captive.
He tracked down Abdul Razaq, a security guard, at home first. Razaq then contacted Hatem, and the journalist was face-to-face with the guards.
“We were meeting like old friends,” Abdul-Ahad said in his article.
Read the full story on The Guardian’s website.