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Judicial officials in Beirut have confirmed that Hannibal Gadhafi’s legal team has filed a case against the Lebanese state in Geneva, citing his detention without trial. The case is expected to be reviewed in Switzerland next month.
After a decade in custody without formal charges, a Lebanese judge has ordered the conditional release of Hannibal Gadhafi—son of the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi—requiring him to pay a bail of USD 11 million. His lawyers, however, have stated that Gadhafi does not have access to funds and will appeal the bail decision on Monday, seeking to have it overturned.
Gadhafi has been detained in Lebanon since 2015 after being abducted by Lebanese militants who were demanding information on the fate of Shiite cleric Moussa al-Sadr, who vanished during a 1978 visit to Libya. Lebanese police later took custody of Gadhafi in the northeastern city of Baalbek, where he was being held, and transferred him to a prison in Beirut.
He had been living in Syria with his Lebanese wife, Aline Skaf, and their children prior to his abduction and has been questioned over the years in connection with al-Sadr’s disappearance—a highly sensitive issue in Lebanon. While the cleric’s family believes he may still be alive in a Libyan prison, most Lebanese assume he is deceased. Al-Sadr would be 96 years old today.
On Friday, Gadhafi was brought to Beirut’s Justice Palace, where Judge Zaher Hamadeh questioned him before issuing the release order, pending payment of bail. Another condition of his release is a two-month travel ban, preventing him from leaving Lebanon.
In 2023, Libya formally requested his release due to health concerns. Gadhafi had reportedly gone on a hunger strike to protest his prolonged detention without trial and was said to be suffering from illness while held at the police headquarters in Beirut.
Hannibal Gadhafi was born nearly three years before al-Sadr disappeared. Following the fall of Tripoli during Libya’s 2011 uprising, he fled to Algeria with his mother and other relatives. He later relocated to Syria, where he was granted political asylum.
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Moammar Gadhafi, who ruled Libya for over four decades, was killed by rebel forces in 2011. Of his eight children, several held prominent positions in his regime. Muatassim was killed alongside his father; Seif al-Arab and Khamis also died during the uprising. Seif al-Islam, once seen as his successor, remains in Libya following his release in 2017. Mohammed and Aisha reside in Oman, while Al-Saadi, a former footballer, was released from prison in 2021 and is believed to be living in Turkey.
