The son of Muammar Gaddafi, Hannibal Gaddafi, may soon be released from prison after a decade of confinement in Lebanon. Hannibal has been held in Lebanon since December 2015, accused of concealing information about the 1978 disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr. Hannibal denies any involvement.
According to Hannibal’s lawyer, Laurent Bayon, the family of the journalist Abbas Badr al-Din’s son has endorsed his release, with a notice signed on October 1st. This has been submitted to the Lebanese Prosecutor General.
Hannibal has spent the last 10 years in a Beirut jail and has only been permitted one visit. His lawyer has criticized the detention conditions, stating that Hannibal was abducted from Syria and brought to Lebanon. Recently, Hannibal’s health deteriorated, requiring hospitalization for severe pneumonia and liver inflammation, marking his first night outside of prison in a decade.
This year, in June, his lawyer filed a request for his release. The Badr al-Din family’s support is significant, despite opposition from the families of Imam Sadr and Sheikh Yaqoub. His lawyer claims there’s insufficient evidence and no judicial interaction since 2017. Hannibal is facing physical and mental health problems, while hoping for justice.
Hannibal Gaddafi, born in 1975, is the fifth son of Muammar Gaddafi. He has been detained since 2015 in connection to the 1978 disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr. After Muammar Gaddafi’s fall in 2011, Hannibal fled to Syria.
In 2015, Hannibal was allegedly lured to the Syria-Lebanon border and abducted. A video of Hannibal showed him with injuries. He claims innocence, stating his only crime is being Gaddafi’s son. The 1978 disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr, a prominent figure in Lebanon, remains a contentious issue, with suspicions of Gaddafi’s involvement.