Delivered Into Enemy Hands - Human Rights Watch

Sharif said that once in Libya, although he was held in extreme isolation for prolonged
periods of time, he was not physically abused. “Fortunately, it was the destiny of God or
my fate that during this time, Gaddafi was trying to brighten his image with the outside
world and build good relationships with the West,” he said. The periods of solitary confinement
were extremely difficult: “Even in the cells next to me, there was no one. For six
months I was kept like that, not able to talk. Every morning they would bring you what you
were going to eat and then leave. … I could not even hear people walking to and from the
bathroom or hear anyone moving around. I was totally and completely alone.”
Unlike Shoroeiya and others, he was held in just two locations: Tajoura, in the same cell
for two years and eight months, and then Abu Salim. In January 2008 he was taken to court,
convicted of attempting to overthrow the regime, and sentenced to death by firing squad.
He said that at one point he was interrogated by individuals speaking French who said they
were from the French intelligence service. He was allowed family visits sporadically in the
beginning, denied them entirely for a year, and then later allowed to receive regular visits
once every two months.
Sharif was released, along with Belhadj and Saadi, on March 23, 2010 after the three
publicly renounced their aim of overthrowing the government and the use of violence as a
means to political change. 215 Sharif was arrested again on April 28, 2011, a little over two
months after the Libyan uprising began. During this period he often witnessed physical
abuse including beatings, sometimes with iron rods, and beards being lit on fire, among
other things. We did not determine how long Sharif was detained during this period or when
he was ultimately released. He is currently head of the Libyan National Guard. One of his
responsibilities is security in facilities holding high value detainees, mostly officials of the
former Gaddafi government, who are now in the custody of the current Libyan government.
215 Sharif was released with Belhadj and Saadi on this date as part of their negotiated release (see “Libyan Islamic Fighting
Group” part of the “Background” section above).
59 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | SEPTEMBER 2012