A Libyan Militia has released the son of former Dictator Muammar Mohammed Abu Minyar Gaddafi, under an amnesty law passed in 2016 by the eastern-based parliament. The prominent son of the former leader had been in captivity for five years, until his recent release.
“We have decided to liberate Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi. He is now free and has left the city of Zintan,” the Libyan Militia said in a statement obtained by the Guardian.
Although he did not have a defined role in his father’s regime, Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi was an outspoken critic for democratic reform and called for harsh punishments to be imposed on captured rebel forces during the revolution, and was often considered to play an integral part in the inner circles of the dictatorship.
When arrested by the militia, he stood accused of inciting the violence and murder of protesters that occurred during the last days of his father’s regime.
At present, he remains wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity, although Libyan Militia officials refused to hand him over to the ICC and instead released him in a town known as Zintan, located southwest of Tripoli.
The local militia had concerns about releasing him to local Libyan authorities in the past, saying they believed they did not have the capacity to ensure that he did not escape once he was in Tripoli.
[revad2]
