Libyan militia release Gaddafi’s son from prison

Former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam has been released after six years of being in a militia group’s custody.

According to Press TV, a statement issued by the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion, an armed militia group that controls the town of Zintan in western Libya, said that Saif al-Islam had been freed on Friday evening under an amnesty law enacted by the parliament based in the country’s east.

“We have decided to liberate Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi. He is now free and has left the city of Zintan,” the statement said.

The 44-year-old had been captured in Zintan as he was fleeing to neighboring Niger in November 2011 following the takeover back then of the Libyan capital of Tripoli by opposition fighters.

In July 2015, Saif al-Islam was sentenced to death by a court in Tripoli for his alleged role in the murderous repression of the 2011 uprising that led to the overthrow and death of his father.

He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the eight months of the 2011 revolt.

ME