Fresh reports of Gaddafi son’s release

SEIF al-Islam, the second son and heir apparent of the late deposed Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, is said to have been freed in Libya after more than five years in captivity.

The Abu Bakr al-Sadiq Brigade, a militia that controls the town of Zintan in western Libya, said Seif al-Islam was freed late on Friday, under an amnesty law promulgated by the parliament based in the country’s east during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“He is now free and has left the city of Zintan,” the group said in a statement on its Facebook page.

There was no independent confirmation of Seif al-Islam’s release, which could spark further instability in a country already wracked by divisions and violence.

Seif al-Islam had been held in Zintan since November 2011, just days after his father was killed in a Nato-backed uprising against his decades-long rule.

The Zintan militia, which opposes Libya’s UNbacked government of National Accord (GNA) based in the capital, had refused to hand him over to authorities despite several legal cases.

Among them was an arrest warrant for Seif alIslam issued by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity related to the bloody repression of the uprising.

In response to an email from reporters, Seif alIslam’s lawyer at the ICC, Karim Khan, said: “I am not able to confirm or deny any matters at this moment in time.” Previous reports of Seif al-Islam’s release have proven false.

His release comes with the North African country still rocked by infighting, with authorities in the east, reportedly allied with the forces of powerful strongman Khalifa Haftar, refusing to recognise the Tripoli-based GNA.

The shockwaves created by the ouster and grizzly killing of Muammar Gaddafi by rebels in his home town of Sirte continue to ripple across the troubled country.

Late last month, Tripoli was rocked by fierce clashes between forces loyal to the unity government and rival militias, with more than 50 members of the pro-GNA forces reported killed.

Relying on militia support and pitted against the rival administration in the east, the GNA has struggled to assert its authority. — AFP