Moammar Gadhafi is a name that brings fear and anger to the hearts of many Libyans. Gadhafi autocratically ruled Libya from 1969 until 2011 when the Libyan civil war brought him down. With a reign of 42 years, he is the longest ruling Arabic leader. However, the end of his reign brings a bittersweet feeling to many citizens.

Years ago, hundreds of citizens began disappearing…never to be heard from again. It is now believed that a mass grave containing over 1,200 human corpses has been discovered.  The corpses are said to be Ghadafi’s prisoners dating back to a mass massacre in 1996. The excavation outside of Tripoli’s Abu Salim prison has not yet begun but what is to be found is clear. Fragments are in plain view on the topsoil, outside of the prison.  Family members can breathe in peace knowing where their loved ones’ remains lay. On the other hand, they’re torn apart about the torture that they had to endure.

Many believe that these poor inmates had guards open fire on them after protesting the poor prison conditions and Gadhafi’s rule. Authorities say that the bodies were stored inside the prison for four years before being buried. Family members were often banned from visiting their imprisoned family members; now it is clear as to why that was.

A major issue in this situation is the lack of technology to exhaust the mass graves. According to a member of a committee based for discovering mass graves, Ibrahim Abu Shima, “We have no expertise with this; we need help to dig [and] to remove the corpses and remains without mixing them.” Authorities are stressing to Libyan citizens to take great care when around the mass grave. Identifying the lost lives is definitely the top priority. Libya is calling for international help and funding in order to DNA test the remains.

This is one of 13 mass graves that have been found in Libya since Gadhafi went into hiding. One can only imagine the amount that have yet to be discovered.