Libyan and Lebanese officials discuss fate of Gaddafi’s son
A Libyan delegation jetted off to Lebanon on January 23 to try to solve the Moussa Al-Sadr case as well as for discussions regarding strongman Muammar Gaddafi’s son, according to the Associated Press (AP).
(The son of late Libyan premier, Hannibal, has been detained in Lebanon since 2015. Originally captured in Syria by Lebanese militants, he was taken hostage as the group were wanting key information about Al-Sadr. Gaddafi (junior) allegedly has information on the Lebanese national.
Prior to the abduction, Hannibal Gaddafi had been living in the war-torn country as a political refugee.
The case of cleric Al-Sadr has remained a mystery as he has not been seen since 1978. It is believed that he would be 94 currently if he is not dead.
Legend has it he may still be alive and banged up in a Libyan prison and his loved ones are still clinging on to hope that this is the case.
Libyan representatives, who were unnamed by the two countries, met Lebanese Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najm and a judge at the forefront of a committee investigating the dubious 1978 disappearance in Beirut.
READ: Rights group urges Lebanon to free Qaddafi’s son
Officials from both countries noted that the talks were positive but were unsure if any progress had been made. They also noted that it is unlikely that Hannibal will be released anytime soon amidst calls for such moves by the international community and rights groups.
All those present at the meeting spoke on the condition of anonymity as Libya’s strict censorship laws prevented them from speaking to reporters.
New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch argued on January 16, “Lebanese authorities should immediately release Hannibal Gaddafi, a son of Libya’s former leader, who has been held in pretrial detention on spurious charges since his arrest in December 2015.
“Nearly 80 percent of Lebanon’s prison population is in pretrial detention, some held for many years and without charge.
“Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces, which oversee prison operations, took custody of Gaddafi in December 2015, alleging that he had a connection to the disappearance of a Lebanese Shiite Imam, Moussa al-Sadr, and two of his companions in Libya after an official visit in August 1978, even though Gaddafi was only two years old in 1978 and held no senior official position as an adult.”
The UN-recognised, Tripoli-based government, one of two administrations in the country, is yet to respond to a request for comment.
AP/ The Libya Observer
