Rights Group Demands Lebanon Release Gadhafi’s Son

Human Rights Watch has urged Lebanon to free Hannibal Gadhafi, the son of Libya’s late leader Moammar Gadhafi, arguing that his ongoing detention is based on dubious accusations. Lebanon arrested Hannibal in 2015, alleging he had information about the 1978 disappearance of Lebanese Shiite cleric Imam Moussa Sadr, a figure associated with the AMAL Movement, now a key ally of Hezbollah.

However, Human Rights Watch highlights that Hannibal was only two years old when Sadr vanished during a trip to Libya, along with an aide and a journalist. The organization criticizes Lebanon for what it perceives as an unjustifiably prolonged pre-trial detention, spanning eight years, calling it a reflection of the flaws in Lebanon’s judicial system.

Hanan Salah from Human Rights Watch emphasized the legitimate interest in uncovering what happened to Imam Sadr but pointed out that detaining someone for a prolonged period on the mere possibility of a connection to the person responsible is illegal.

The judicial process regarding Hannibal’s case seems to have stalled. In June 2023, a judicial official informed AFP that the proceedings were on hold, pending further information from Libyan authorities. In August of the same year, despite a request from Libya for Hannibal’s release, a judicial source indicated that he would remain detained until Tripoli provided details about Sadr’s disappearance.

Nabih Berri, the Parliament Speaker and leader of the Amal Movement, accused Libya of not cooperating with the Lebanese judiciary and concealing vital information about the case. This situation continues to strain the already tense relations between Lebanon and Libya since the disappearance of Sadr, with Lebanon historically blaming Moammar Gadhafi for the incident. Gadhafi himself was overthrown and killed in a 2011 uprising.