The expression Ai Pelo is apparently derived from the local Tocodede language word epelo, which means "bitter water" and was used by the inhabitants of a nearby village to refer to the prison.

According to a museum label panel now located at the prison, the description "bitter water" was a clear allusion to the abuses inflicted there.

[1][4][5] In that year, floods after heavy rains in Dili and Liquiçá claimed human lives and damaged infrastructure, including the prison.

The plans for the project included the construction of a small museum, a venue for selling local products and a restaurant and coffee shop.

[1][5][6] The prison's original set of buildings is a typical example of Portuguese colonial architecture of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.