A Lebanese judge has ordered the release of Hannibal Gadhafi, son of the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, after 10 years in prison without charge. The release is conditional on Gadhafi paying $11 million bail, a decision his lawyers plan to contest. Gadhafi has been detained in Lebanon since 2015, following his abduction by Lebanese militants who demanded information on the whereabouts of prominent Lebanese Shiite cleric Moussa al-Sadr.
Gadhafi’s imprisonment has been a subject of concern, with Libya formally requesting his release in 2023 due to his deteriorating health. He has been on a hunger strike to protest his detention without trial. On Friday, Judge Zaher Hamadeh questioned Gadhafi at the Justice Palace in Beirut and ordered his release once the bail is paid. Additionally, Gadhafi will be banned from traveling outside Lebanon for two months.
Gadhafi’s defense team has filed a case against the Lebanese state in Geneva over his detention without trial, which is expected to be discussed in Switzerland next month. His lawyer, Charbel Milad al-Khoury, stated that Gadhafi does not have the means to pay the bail and plans to lodge an appeal on Monday to have the bail abolished. Al-Khoury described the decision as “almost impossible to be met,” given Gadhafi’s 10-year detention without charge.
The case of Moussa al-Sadr’s disappearance in 1978 during a visit to Libya has been a long-standing issue in Lebanon. Gadhafi has faced questioning over the years but has maintained he does not know anything about al-Sadr’s whereabouts. When asked about al-Sadr on Friday, Gadhafi responded that he did not know and did not remember.
Hannibal Gadhafi’s release comes after years of living in exile in Syria with his Lebanese wife and children. His father, Moammar Gadhafi, was killed in 2011 during Libya’s uprising-turned-civil war. The Gadhafi family has been affected by the conflict, with several of Moammar Gadhafi’s children having significant roles in his government and some being killed or detained.
The development in Gadhafi’s case is significant, given the lengthy detention without charge and the concerns over his health. The planned appeal against the bail decision is expected to shed more light on the circumstances surrounding Gadhafi’s detention and the conditions of his release. As the case progresses, it may have implications for Lebanon’s judicial system and its handling of high-profile detentions.