Saif al-Islam Gaddafi سيف الإسلام معمر القذافي | |
---|---|
![]() Saif al-Islam Gaddafi in November 2021 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi سيف الإسلام معمر القذافي 25 June 1972 Tripoli, Libyan Arab Republic |
Political party | Popular Front for the Liberation of Libya |
Domestic partner(s) | Orly Weinerman (2005–present; estranged) |
Parents |
|
Alma mater | Al Fateh University Imadec London School of Economics[2] |
Profession | Engineer, Diplomat, Painter, Philanthropist, Soldier |
Website | Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation (archived 2017) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | Libyan Army Gaddafi loyalists |
Years of service | 2011 |
Battles/wars | First Libyan Civil War |
Saif al-Islam Muammar al-Gaddafi (Arabic: سيف الإسلام معمر القذافي; born 25 June 1972) is a Libyan political figure. He is the second son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his second wife Safia Farkash. He was a part of his father's inner circle, performing public relations and diplomatic roles on his behalf.[3] He publicly turned down his father's offer of the country's second highest post and held no official government position. According to United States Department of State officials in Tripoli, during his father's reign, he was the second most widely recognized person in Libya, being at times the de facto prime minister,[4] and was mentioned as a possible successor, though he rejected this.[5] An arrest warrant was issued for him on 27 June 2011 by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for charges of crimes against humanity against the Libyan people, for killing and persecuting civilians,[6] under Articles 7(1)(a) and 7(1)(h) of the Rome statute.[7] He denied the charges.
Gaddafi was captured in southern Libya by the Zintan militia on 19 November 2011, after the end of the Libyan Civil War, and flown by plane to Zintan. He was sentenced to death on 28 July 2015 by a court in Tripoli for crimes during the civil war, in a widely criticised trial conducted in absentia. He remained in the custody of the de facto independent authorities of Zintan.[8] On 10 June 2017, he was released from prison in Zintan, according to a statement from Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion.[9] Later the same month, his full amnesty was declared by the Tobruk-based government led by Khalifa Haftar.[10] As of December 2019[update], Gaddafi remained wanted[11] under his ICC arrest warrant for crimes against humanity.[7] On 14 November, he attempted to register as a candidate in the 2021 Libyan presidential election,[12] but was rejected.[13] This decision was overturned less than a month later, reinstating him as a presidential candidate.[14][15][16]
Early life and career
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering science from Tripoli's Al Fateh University in 1994. However, there is another report stating that he is an architect.[17][18] After several countries, including France and Canada, refused to grant him a student visa, Saif earned an MBA from the Imadec business school in Vienna, where he became friends with OPEC official Shukri Ghanem and Austrian far-right politician Jörg Haider.[19] Upon his arrival in Vienna, Saif was granted permission by the Mayor of Vienna and the head of Schönbrunn Zoo to keep his pet tigers at the zoo.[20] According to Simon McDonald, Saif still had a white tiger at his farm near Tripoli in the late 2000s, but the white tiger was later turned into a rug in Saif's majlis.[21]
Saif's paintings made up the bulk of the international Libyan art exhibit, "The Desert is Not Silent" (2002–2005),[22] a show which was supported by a host of international corporations with direct ties to his father's government, among them the ABB Group, Siemens, Petro-Canada, Bombardier, and SNC-Lavalin.[23][24]
In 2002, Saif sued The Sunday Telegraph for libel over a 1995 article that alleged he had masterminded an international money-laundering conspiracy. The lawsuit was settled after the intervention of Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud with The Sunday Telegraph agreeing to publish an apology and pay a portion of Saif's legal costs.[25][26]
In 2005, Gaddafi was awarded a "Young Global Leader" title by the World Economic Forum.[27] In January 2011, WEF founder Klaus Schwab personally invited Saif to attend the annual WEF Forum in Davos.[21]
Gaddafi was awarded a PhD degree in 2008 from the London School of Economics, where he attended amid a series of contacts between the school and the Libyan political establishment. He presented a thesis on "The role of civil society in the democratisation of global governance institutions: from 'soft power' to collective decision-making?"[28][29] Examined by Meghnad Desai (London School of Economics) and Anthony McGrew (University of Southampton), among the LSE academics acknowledged in the thesis as directly assisting with it were Nancy Cartwright, David Held and Alex Voorhoeve (the son of former Dutch minister Joris Voorhoeve). Professor Joseph Nye of Harvard University is also thanked for having read portions of the manuscript and providing advice and direction.[30][31] Alongside accusations of plagiarism, allegations abound that Saif's thesis was in many parts ghost-written by consultants from Monitor Group, which earned $3 million per year in fees from Muammar Gaddafi.[32]
Speaking in Sabha on 20 August 2008, Gaddafi said that he would no longer involve himself in state affairs. He noted that he had previously "intervene[d] due to the absence of institutions",[33] but said that he would no longer do so. He dismissed any potential suggestion that this decision was due to disagreement with his father, saying that they were on good terms. He also called for political reforms within the context of the Jamahiriya system and rejected the notion that he could succeed his father, saying that "this is not a farm to inherit".[33]
Saif, who was considered a reformist, had a longstanding rivalry with his hardline brother Mutassim and his influence began to wane after the lifting of international sanctions.[34][35] In November 2010, Saif's independent newspaper was suspended after it published an article calling for a “final assault” on his father's government.[18] His newspaper also defended Nuri Mesmari, who had defected to France earlier that month.[36][37] Some of his allies, including 20 reporters, were arrested.[35][37]
Charity and social affairs
Gaddafi was the president of the Libyan National Association for Drugs and Narcotics Control (DNAG). In 1998,[38] he founded the official charity, the Gaddafi International Foundation for Charity Associations, which intervened in various hostage situations involving Islamic militants and the crisis of the HIV trial in Libya and the resulting European Union-Libyan rapprochement.
In 2009, both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch were allowed entry to Libya, via Gaddafi's non-profit organization in order to gather facts about the human rights situation in Libya.[39][40] While AI and HRW reported that there were concerns about the "repressive atmosphere," both felt there were signs of "improvement" and HRW said that one should not "underestimate the importance of the efforts made so far" by Gaddafi in the realm of human rights in Libya.[41]
In December 2010, Gaddafi announced that his charity foundation "will no longer be involved in promoting human rights and political change in the North African country," and that instead, it "will focus on its 'core charitable mission' of delivering aid and relief to sub-Saharan Africa."[42] The board meeting of the foundation was moved from Tripoli to London due to hostilities from hardliners of his father's regime.[35]
International diplomacy
Gaddafi was instrumental in negotiations that led to Libya's abandoning a weapons of mass destruction programme in 2002–2003. He arranged several important business deals on behalf of the Libyan regime in the period of rapprochement that followed. He was viewed as a reformer, and openly criticised the regime:[35]
[a] congressional aide asked him what Libya needed most. His one-word answer: democracy.
"You mean Libya needs more democracy?" the aide asked.
"No. 'More democracy' would imply that we had some," Gaddafi said.
In 2003, he published a report critical of Libya's record on human rights.
On 10 December 2004, shortly before a trip by Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin to Tripoli, in an interview with The Globe and Mail Gaddafi requested a formal apology from the Canadian government, for joining U.S.-led sanctions against Libya after the Lockerbie bombing, and for denying him a student visa to study in Canada in 1997. His request was met with incredulity in Canada, and the Canadian government announced that no apology would be forthcoming.
HIV trial
Gaddafi played an important role in the HIV trial in Libya. At first he rejected information the medics were tortured. "During this time we saw Gaddafi's son on a television broadcast categorically denying that Libya still tortured suspected criminals", claimed Valya Chervianashka, one of the accused nurses in her autobiography. Later he admitted in interviews that the Bulgarian nurses, charged with conspiring to deliberately infect over 400 children with HIV in 1998, had been tortured and that the government had denied them a fair trial. His admissions were said to have badly damaged his reputation in Libya.[4]
The torture process is confirmed and described in details in the book Notes from Hell,[43][failed verification] co-written by one of the nurses, Valya Chervianashka. Saif al-Islam was mentioned several times in the book. According to her:
One day, the executive director of Muammar al-Gaddafi's son's foundation, the Gaddafi International Foundation for Charity Associations (GICDF), arrived at the prison, inviting us to the director's office of the women's wing for a meeting. We were in our pyjamas, dishevelled and unprepared. We hastily put on some clothes and hurried to meet the director. A Libyan man along with Ambassador Lyudmil Spassov and Roumen Petrov waited for us outside the office. The Ambassador told us, "This is a very important person. He will help you; he is on your side." Saleh Abdel Salam, executive director of GICDF, was intimidating. We didn't realise it then, but this Libyan man would indeed help us in the future.
Isratine proposal
Saif introduced the Isratine proposal to permanently resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict through a secular, federalist, republican, binational one-state solution.[44]
Philippine peace process
Gaddafi served as Chairman of the Gaddafi International Foundation for Charitable Associations. In this role, he was involved in a number of humanitarian initiatives. Saif's first foray into international diplomacy was serving as an intermediary between the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group and the Government of the Philippines in August 2000.[19] Notably, he hosted peace talks between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Tripoli.[45] In the resulting peace agreement concluded on 22 June 2001, Gaddafi was expressly thanked for his involvement.[45] He was also the witness to the signing of the peace agreement.[45] The peace agreement forms a part of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro concluded in 2014.[46]
2008 agreement with Italy
Gaddafi was involved in negotiating compensation from Libya's former colonial power, Italy, and on 30 August 2008 a Friendship, Partnership and Cooperation Agreement was signed in Benghazi by his father and Italy's prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.[47] However, the treaty was unilaterally suspended by Italy at the beginning of 2011, after Italy refused to consider Gaddafi government as their interlocutor.[48]
Compensation for American terror victims
He was also negotiating with the United States in order to conclude a comprehensive agreement making any further payments for American victims of terror attacks that have been blamed on Libya – such as the 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing, the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and the 1989 UTA Flight 772 bombing – conditional upon U.S. payment of compensation for the 40 Libyans killed and 220 injured in the 1986 United States bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi. On 14 August 2008, the U.S.-Libya Comprehensive Claims Settlement Agreement was signed in Tripoli. Former British Ambassador to Libya Oliver Miles described the agreement as "a bold step, with political cost for both parties" and wrote an article in the online edition of The Guardian querying whether the agreement is likely to work.[49]
In an August 2008 BBC TV interview, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said that Libya had admitted responsibility (but not "guilt") for the Lockerbie bombing simply to get trade sanctions removed. He further admitted that Libya was being "hypocritical" and was "playing on words", but said Libya had no other choice on the matter. According to Gaddafi, a letter admitting "responsibility" was the only way to end the economic sanctions imposed on Libya. When asked about the $10m (£5.3m) compensation that Libya was paying to each victims' family, he again repeated that Libya was doing so because it had no other choice. He went on to describe the families of the Lockerbie victims as "trading with the blood of their sons and daughters" and being very "greedy", saying, "They were asking for more money and more money and more money".[50]
Diplomacy for extraditing Libyans
Interviewed by French newspaper Le Figaro on 7 December 2007, Gaddafi said that the seven Libyans convicted for the Pan Am Flight 103 and the UTA Flight 772 bombings "are innocent".[51] When asked if Libya would therefore seek reimbursement of the compensation paid to the families of the victims (US$2.33 billion), Gaddafi replied: "I don't know."[51] Gaddafi led negotiations with Britain for the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the convicted Pan Am 103 conspirator.[35] In August 2009, after Scotland's Cabinet Secretary of Justice Kenny MacAskill ordered Megharahi's release, Saif drafted letters to Alex Salmond, the First Minister of Scotland, and Simon McDonald, foreign policy adviser of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, thanking them for their support, which led to accusation of undue political influence in the Megharahi case.[21]
In 2007, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Tripoli, with whom it is alleged he helped broker an arms deal, including missiles.[52][53][54]
In November 2008, Gaddafi made a high-profile visit to the United States where he met with US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. During the meeting, Rice raised the case of Libya's jailed political dissident and democracy activist, Fathi El-Jahmi.[55] In a Forbes article in 2009, Fathi's brother wrote that "for nearly a year, both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch hesitated to advocate publicly for Fathi's case, because they feared their case workers might lose access to Libyan visas."[56]
In 2009, Saif al-Islam welcomed Sarah Leah Whitson, director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East division, into Libya, accompanying her in meeting with many government officials and others during her visit. She wrote of her official visit that "the real impetus for the transformation rests squarely with a quasi-governmental organization, the Qaddafi Foundation for International Charities and Development" chaired by Gaddafi. She praised Gaddafi for establishing the country's two semi-private newspapers, and said "it is impossible to underestimate the importance of the efforts made so far. Let's hope this spring will last."[57]
Stand-off with US officials
In 2009, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi claimed that Libya's opinion of him was shaped largely by his role in Libya's engagement with the West, saying "If something goes wrong, people will blame me, whether I am in a certain official position or not." He expressed frustration with the US, saying Libya's decision to give up its weapons of mass destruction program was contingent upon "compensation" from the US, including the signing of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, economic cooperation, and cooperation in purchasing conventional weapons and military equipment. He stated, "We share rich natural resources – oil and gas – along the borders, yet we have no capacity to defend that wealth." Because of a US legal embargo, Libya cannot purchase weapons from the United States, Sweden, or Germany, and has been disallowed from buying "Tiger" vehicles with American-manufactured engines from Jordan. He asked for greater military assistance, as Libya had committed itself to destroying chemical stockpiles, but would require at least $25 million to do so. Gaddafi said the United States had "humiliated" his father during his visit to New York City in 2009, and said that his father's tent and residence issues were disappointing and his UN speech had been misinterpreted. Gaddafi said that his father was barred from visiting Ground Zero, which also frustrated him. Gaddafi held a standoff with US officials in November 2009, refusing to send a shipment of Highly Enriched Uranium back to Russia unless the United States renewed its commitment to cooperation with Libya.[58]
Libyan civil war
Early phase and ceasefire efforts
Saif was allegedly supportive of the Tunisian Revolution and cautiously optimistic of the 2011 Egyptian revolution in the early phase of the Arab Spring.[59] On 19 February, several days after the Arab Spring came to Libya, Saif al-Islam announced the creation of a commission of inquiry into the violence, chaired by a Libyan judge, as reported on state television. He stated that the commission was intended to be "for members of Libyan and foreign organizations of human rights" and that it would "investigate the circumstances and events that have caused many victims."[60] He also circulated an op-ed to several American newspapers calling for reform and a new constitution, but every newspaper rejected it.[61] Later in the month, he went on state television to deny allegations that the government had launched airstrikes against Libyan cities and stated that the number of protesters killed had been exaggerated.[citation needed]
On 20 February 2011, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi delivered an address to the nation on Libyan state television stating that if no agreement could be found between protesters and the government "thousands of deaths, and rivers of blood will run through Libya". He also insisted that his father remained in charge with the army's backing and would "fight until the last man, the last woman, the last bullet."[62] Speaking on Libyan state TV, Saif al-Islam blamed the civil war on tribal factions and Islamists acting on their own agendas, drunken and drugged.[clarification needed] He promised reforms, and said the alternative would be civil war blocking trade and oil money and leading to the country being taken over by foreigners.[63] He closed by saying, "We will not let Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and BBC trick us." Oliver Miles, a former British Ambassador to Libya, disagreed with his assessment while public intellectual Benjamin Barber, a board member of the Gaddafi International Foundation for Charity Associations, defended Saif as a reformer and called for Western engagement with Saif as the best way to end the bloodshed.[64][65][66][67] In an interview with ABC News reporter Christiane Amanpour, Saif al-Islam denied that his father's regime was killing civilians.[68] On 21 February 2011, the World Economic Forum cut off contacts with Saif al-Islam and suspended him from the Forum of Young Global Leaders.[69][21] On 19 March 2011, Saif al-Islam cut off contact with Western journalists due to NATO's military intervention in Libya.[70]
On 27 April 2011, Saif al-Islam came to an agreement with Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and senior NTC figure Ali Zeidan to end the war, but the deal was vetoed by Britain and France.[71]
Death of Saif al-Arab and ICC arrest warrant
On 2 May 2011, Saif al-Islam and his older half-brother Muhammad were among the 2,000 mourners who attended his younger brother Saif al-Arab's funeral. He was seen touching his younger brother's chest while fighting back tears before leaving the graveside while pumping his fist to the crowd.[72] Saif al-Arab and three of Muammar Gaddafi's grandchildren had been killed by a NATO airstrike on 30 April 2011.[73]
In June 2011, Saif al-Islam and his father, Muammar, announced that they were willing to hold elections and that Muammar Gaddafi would step aside if he lost. Saif al-Islam stated that the elections could be held within three months and transparency would be guaranteed through international observers. NATO and the rebels rejected the offer, and NATO soon resumed their bombardment of Tripoli.[74]
On 27 June 2011, an arrest warrant was issued by the ICC.[75] On 1 July, Saif al-Islam had an interview with Russia Today, where he denied the ICC's allegations that he, or his father, ordered the killing of civilian protesters.[76] He pointed out that he was not a member of the government or the military, and therefore had no authority to give such orders. According to Saif al-Islam, he made recorded calls to General Abdul Fatah Younis, who later defected to the rebel forces, requesting him not to use force against protesters, to which Younis responded that the protestors were attacking a military site, where surprised guards fired in self-defence. Younis was later assassinated by his fellow rebels on 28 July, allegedly for secret communication with Saif.[77][78]
Saif al-Islam condemned NATO for bombing Libyan civilians, including his family members and their children, under the false pretence that their homes were military bases. He stated that NATO offered to drop the ICC charges against him and his father if they accept a secret deal, an offer they rejected. He thus criticised the ICC as "a fake court" controlled by NATO member states.[79]
On 3 August 2011, Saif al-Islam gave an interview to the New York Times stating that Libya was becoming more closely aligned to Islamists and would likely resemble Iran or Saudi Arabia. Saif al-Islam said that his father was working closely with Islamists within the rebellion to splinter the resistance.[80]
Fall of Tripoli and escape to Bani Walid
On 21 August 2011, the National Transitional Council claimed that Saif al-Islam was arrested by the National Liberation Army, pursuant to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.[81] However, on the early morning of 23 August, Saif al-Islam was sighted by Western journalists apparently moving around under his own free will outside the Rixos Hotel.[82][83] He was later interviewed by Matthew Chance of CNN, where he claimed his father was also still in Tripoli and report of his arrest was a "trick" by rebels.[84]
After the fall of Tripoli, Saif al-Islam called into Arrai TV and claimed that he was still in a suburb of Tripoli on 31 August.[85] He later went to Bani Walid, but reportedly left on 3 September after attending the funeral of his brother Khamis.[86] On 5 September, another brother, Saadi, said in an interview with CNN that an "aggressive" speech by Saif al-Islam had led to the breakdown of the negotiations between NTC forces and Gaddafi loyalists in Bani Walid. Shortly after Saadi fled to Niger on 11 September, another brother, Mutassim, was said to have crossed paths with Saif for the last time. Their last encounter was acrimonious as Mutassim allegedly blamed Saif's yesteryear reforms for causing their family's downfall.[34] On 20 September, Arrai TV broadcast footage of Saif rallying his father's supporters, promising them weapons, and appealing to them to retake Tripoli.[87] Contrary to previous reports, Saif al-Islam apparently stayed in Bani Walid until the town was captured by NTC forces in early October.[88]
Capture
On 17 October 2011, after leaving Bani Walid, Saif's convoy was hit by a NATO air attack at Wadi Zamzam where he lost 26 of his supporters and 9 military vehicles.[89] His right hand was wounded and according to his own explanation it happened during the NATO air strike. According to the Libyan Al Mashhad Al Leebi program, the fingers of his right hand were cut off.[90]
With the death of his father Muammar and his brother Mutassim in Sirte on 20 October 2011, Saif al-Islam was the only member of the Gaddafi family left in Libya. He appeared on Syrian pro-Gaddafi television on 22 October claiming "I am in Libya, I am alive and free and willing to fight to the end and take revenge",[91] but his whereabouts were unknown and subject to many rumours. On 24 October 2011, a National Transitional Council source claimed that Saif had been given a forged passport near Murzuk and was in the Ghat area near the border of Niger and Algeria. The same source claimed that Abdullah Senussi was helping Saif plot his escape.[92]
An international team of lawyers representing the interests of Saif al-Islam wrote to US leaders demanding that he be protected from assassination and holding the United States and NATO responsible for the Libyan leader's "brutal assassination" and repeated attacks on Libya's civilian population.[93]
On 19 November 2011, as Saif al-Islam was trying to flee from Libya, he and four aides were captured,[94] and detained about 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of the town of Ubari near Sabha in southern Libya, 640 kilometres (400 mi) from Tripoli.[95] Sources say that it was the betrayal by a Libyan nomad, Yussef Saleh al-Hotmani, that finally led to his capture. Yussef Saleh al-Hotmani told the interviewers that he was hired to guide a man to Niger and that he was offered €1 million for the job. Being offered such a huge sum of money, he suspected foul play as Saif's agent did not tell him whom he was going to guide. He contacted the rebel fighters and told them where a two vehicle convoy would pass through southern Libya on the night of 18 November and this allowed the rebel fighters to ambush the convoy. Saif was taken to Zintan by plane and, pending trial, he was kept in detention by the Zintan-militia that captured him.[96]
A differing account was provided by Ejmi al-Atiri of the Zintan Brigades.[97] According to al-Atiri, Saif never offered them money in exchange for his release, but instead asked to be shot in the head. In addition to three severed fingers, Saif also had wounds in his abdomen and his flanks and it was arranged that he be operated on in Zintan. He was operated on by Andrei Murakhovsky, a Ukrainian doctor working in Zintan, who disputed the rumor that Saif's fingers had been cut off and claimed that his injuries were consistent with "some kind of explosion." Dr. Murakhovsky claimed that his fingers were gangrenous and thus needed to be amputated to prevent osteomyolitis.[98][99] The operation took four hours and he needed daily medical monitoring for two months. al-Atiri stated that Saif insisted he never paid foreign mercenaries to fight for his father and had no choice but to support his father due to traditional family loyalty. Atiri's account was corroborated by Saif's former aide Youssef Sawani, who had defected to the rebels and stated that Saif was not able to betray his family.[100]
In a video filmed on the day of his capture, Saif was seen warning his captors about the danger posed by Islamists, namely Abdelhakim Belhaj and Ali al-Sallabi.[101]
Criminal charges and trials
Based on his outstanding warrant the International Criminal Court (ICC) asked the new government about Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's detention.[95] The new government was unable or unwilling to comply with the ICC's information requests regarding Saif al-Islam.[102] New deadlines for information requests from the ICC were also missed. A brief filed by the Office of Public Counsel for the Defence on behalf of Gaddafi claimed that "there is no basis for asserting that the ICC should defer the case to Libya".[103] The brief requested the court to order Libya to immediately implement Gaddafi's rights, and report Libya to the Security Council if it does not.[103]
In June 2012, Australia lawyer Melinda Taylor and three other members from an ICC delegation were arrested by Zintan while visiting Saif and accused of passing coded messages to Saif.[104][105] They were freed a month later in a deal brokered by ICC President Sang-Hyun Song.[106] In August 2012, the Libyan government announced that Saif al-Islam would stand trial in the western Libyan town of Zintan, in September 2012.[107][108] However, the trial was subsequently delayed; Saif al-Islam appeared in court in Zintan on 17 January 2013.[109] However, trial was again delayed, and it wasn't until April 2014 that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi appeared in court in Tripoli, via video link for security reasons.[110]
Libya appealed his extradition to the Hague Court (ICC), but the court affirmed the indictments.[111] The court held that the Libyan government failed to show that Saif al-Islam faced the same charges in Libya as he did in the ICC.[111]
On 28 July 2015, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was sentenced to death in absentia for war crimes by the "self-declared government" in Tripoli, Libya (he was being held in Zintan, not where the trial was held). However, the Zintan authorities have consistently refused to either hand him over to the Tripoli authorities or to implement their sentence.[112][113] The trial and the sentence have been criticised by the United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) and by Human Rights Watch.[114][115][116]
In July 2016, one of his lawyers, Karim Khan, claimed that his client had been freed on 12 April of that year and transferred to a secret location after the government quashed his sentence, and that he would petition the ICC to drop all charges against him.[117] His release was corroborated by Ejmi al-Atiri, but a Zintan military source denied that he had been released.[118][119]
In November 2016, the Middle East Eye reported that while Saif al-Islam was still officially a prisoner, he was free to travel around Zintan and frequently communicated through the Viber smartphone app.[120]
In May 2017, Saif al-Islam allegedly survived an assassination attempt in Zintan by local militias.[121]
Release and return to politics
Speculations on whereabouts and political future
On 10 June 2017, Saif al-Islam was released from prison in Zintan, according to a statement from Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion.[9] The militia chose not to transfer him to the custody of the International Criminal Court, saying "We are not concerned with the international tribunal as the ICC did not ask us to hand him over".[121] The UN-backed Libyan government based in Tripoli condemned his release while an ICC prosecutor was still trying to verify the release, and called on Libya and other states to arrest and surrender him, stating "Libya is obliged to immediately arrest and surrender Mr Gaddafi [...] regardless of any purported amnesty law."[122][123] Saif's lawyer, Karim Khan, could neither confirm nor deny Saif's freedom, but claimed that he was in regular contact with Saif and had previously visited him in the autumn of 2016.[124]
On 22 June 2017, rumors circulated among Gaddafi loyalists that Saif al-Islam would make a TV appearance on Qadr Night, but Saif did not show and his whereabouts remained unknown.[125] He was rumored to be in Ubari with the pro-Gaddafi Tuareg commander, Ali Kanna. In August 2017, Libyan Herald refuted claim that he was ever in Ubari and reported that he was instead in the Wershefana region west of Tripoli. However, Wershefana sources denied this and claimed that he was in Bani Walid. Bani Walid sources claimed that Saif had asked to go there, but was rejected as some elders feared it would divide the community and risk attack.[126]
In October 2017, Ghassan Salamé, the head of United Nations Support Mission in Libya, asserted that Saif al-Islam might be allowed to take part in the political reconstruction of Libya.[125]
In December 2017, Saif allegedly claimed to a US source that he was building an army and his forces had taken control of Sabratha. His claim was unverified and it was possible that he was taking credit for other armed groups' operations. He was allegedly aligned with the Warshefana tribal militia, but Warshefana had gotten into a turf war with his other ally the Zintan Brigades over road checkpoints and smuggling routes.[127]
On 17 February 2018, on the seventh anniversary of the outbreak of the First Libyan Civil War, Asharq Al-Awsat reported from tribal sources that several international parties were prodding extremists linked to al-Qaeda to assassinate Saif al-Islam. The same sources refused to divulge Saif's whereabouts.[128]
Gaddafi's spokesman stated on 22 March 2018 in Tunis that he would run for president in the next Libyan general election under the Popular Front for the Liberation of Libya (PFLL). Ayman Abu Ras, a spokesperson for the party, said that Gaddafi wished to focus on a programme of "reform", namely reconstruction projects.[129][130]
In May 2018, the ICC reminded Libyan authorities of the arrest warrant issued against Saif al-Islam,[7] calling for him to be arrested and transferred to the custody of the ICC. The ICC also called for "credible information" that could lead to finding his location.[11]
In July 2018, an audio recording of Saif al-Islam imploring the Tuaregs in Ghat to provide him with fighters was leaked online.[131][132]
In May 2019, the son of Mohammed Ali Madani alleged that Khalifa Haftar had offered him and Ejmi al-Atiri money to assassinate Saif.[133]
In March 2020, the ICC confirmed that Saif al-Islam's case was admissible in the ICC, despite the 28 July 2015 Libyan judgment against him, since the 2015 judgment was carried out in absentia, thus not qualifying as final under Libyan law.[134]
In May 2020, it was reported that Turkish intelligence was searching for Saif in the western mountain region southwest of Tripoli to either assassinate him or hand him over to the ICC.[135]
In 2020, Saif reportedly attempted to re-organize the Popular Front for the Liberation of Libya into a new party named “Libya Al-Ghad” ("Libya Tomorrow" in Arabic), but the rebrand was vetoed by the much older Popular Front leaders.[136][137]
On 14 February 2021, Saif's lawyer Karim Khan was elected Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.[138] Khan subsequently recused himself from Saif's ICC case.[139]
Re-emergence as a public figure and presidential campaign
On 11 June 2021, The Times spoke exclusively with political representatives of Saif, who revealed that he was planning to make a return to public life, including possibly running for president, and had been courting foreign diplomats to re-establish his viability. A direct phone call between The Times reporters and Saif was subsequently arranged, where he confirmed his identity and his relationship with the group of aides The Times had been speaking with. He also stated that he was in good health.[140][141]
In a July 2021 interview with The New York Times, his first interview with western media in ten years, Gaddafi attacked Libyan politicians for their governance since the 2011 First Libyan Civil War, describing them as having "raped the country". Gaddafi hinted that he was running for president. Commenting on his years-long absence from public life, he said "You need to come back slowly, slowly. Like a striptease. You need to play with their minds a little."[142] The July 2021 New York Times interview included topics related to Saif's political thinking and past actions. Saif defended his father's legacy. Saif said of his father's Green Book; "It was not crazy, it talked about things everybody is now recognizing." He said that many "ideas gaining popularity in the West, such as frequent public referendums, employee stock-ownership programs and the dangers of boxing and wrestling", echoed the words of his father's book.[142] His interview was given to the New York Times at an opulent two-story villa inside a gated compound in Zintan. According to The New York Times, Saif reluctantly agreed to be photographed for the interview, but insisted on covering part of his face with a scarf.[142] Until the interview, Saif al-Islam had not been seen since June 2014, when he appeared via video link from Zintan during his trial by the Tripoli court.[143]
Some Libyans questioned the authenticity of photographs taken by The New York Times. Ashraf Boudwara, head of the Preparatory Committee for the National Conference, claimed the photos were of Saif's brother Saadi Gaddafi. Meanwhile, Gaddafi loyalists celebrated Saif's return. Saad al-Senussi al-Barasi, a leader in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Libya, called the skeptics of the photographs, "the enemies of the nation and those who cling to power."[144]
In October 2021, the Israel Hayom reported that a female model representing Saif signed a contract with an Israeli consulting firm to run his presidential campaign.[145][146]
On 14 November 2021, making his first public appearance since June 2014, Gaddafi confirmed his intention to run for the presidency of Libya, registering his nomination in the southern city of Sebha.[147] On 16 November, Libya's High National Election Commission rejected Gaddafi's candidacy on grounds that under Libyan law, his criminal convictions disqualified him from holding a political office.[13][148][149] On 25 November, gunmen aligned with Khalifa Haftar, under Haftar's sons' command, stormed the courthouse of Sabha and threatened judges and staffers to prevent them from ruling on Saif's appeal.[150][151] The United Nations Support Mission in Libya expressed concerns over the forced closure of the Sabha court and warned that sanctions could be levied against parties responsible.[152] On 28 November, Gaddafi stated to Al Arabiya that Libyan judicial authorities refused to hold hearings on his disqualification appeal.[149]
On 2 December 2021, a Libyan court ruled that Saif be reinstated as a presidential candidate.[153] Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that Saif had secretly visited Egypt and met with President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Egyptian Chief of Intelligence Abbas Kamel before his reinstatement.[154]
On 29 January 2022, through a statement published by his lawyer Khalid al-Zaidi, Gaddafi proposed an initiative to resolve the political crisis that began after presidential elections scheduled for December 2021 were delayed. The initiative proposed postponing presidential elections and proceeding with parliamentary elections without delay.[155]
On 6 July 2022, Saif presented two separate proposals to resolve the ongoing Libyan crisis through a written statement disseminated by his lawyer Khalid al-Zaidi. In the first proposal, Saif argued for the appointment of a neutral party to oversee urgent, non-exclusive presidential and parliamentary elections in which everyone would be allowed to participate. In the second proposal, Saif recommended that all current political figures, including himself,[156] should collectively withdraw from the electoral process in order to make way for new faces chosen by the Libyan people through transparent elections.[157][158]
In August 2022, Saif, through his lawyer Khaled al-Zaidi, refuted a report from Jeune Afrique that he had made a deal with Lebanon to secure his brother Hannibal's release.[159]
In December, 2022, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah called for Saif to surrender himself to the ICC.[160] In January 2023, Saif's political team reiterated his legal right to run for political office despite the ICC arrest warrant.[161]
In July 2023, Saif al-Islam called for Lebanon to release his brother Hannibal from detention, describing Hannibal's incarceration as "illegal and inhumane" and "without trial and without just cause."[162]
In September 2023, Gaddafi blamed the 2011 Libyan civil war which deposed his father and the instability which followed the conflict for the Derna dam collapses. He called the country's rival governments "sham governments" and accused the Derna security forces and the forces of Khalfa Haftar of making the situation worse by imposing a curfew on the city rather than evacuating it.[163]
Russian ties
In May 2019, two Russians affiliated with Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner Group, Maxim Shugaley and Samer Hasan Ali Sueyfan, were arrested in Tripoli for conspiring with Saif al-Islam.[164] They were released in December 2020.[165][166]
In September 2020, Corriere della Sera reported that a Russian airplane took Saif al-Islam from Zintan to Moscow to hold secret meetings.[167] In June 2021, Mahmoud Refaat claimed that Saif had secretly visited Damascus to meet with senior figures of the Bashar al-Assad regime. The secret meeting was brokered by Russia.[168][169] On 12 August 2021, prosecutors in Tripoli issued an arrest warrant for Saif over suspected links to the Wagner Group.[170]
In March 2023, Al-Jazeera revealed the testimonies of Wagner operative Maxim Shugaley, who alleged that Saif had given Russia incriminating evidence that implicated prominent politicians in France, the US, and Ukraine. Most notably, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, was accused of accepting Libyan money through Algerian intermediaries to fund his campaign in the 2017 French presidential election.[171][172][173]
Personal life
There are two different stories about his mother's origin. One is that his mother, Safia Farkash, is from a family from the Eastern Libyan Barasa tribe and that she was born in Bayda and was trained as a nurse.[174] The other is that she is of Hungarian descent.[175][176][177]
In 2006, the German newspaper Der Spiegel and the Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia reported that Saif al-Islam was romantically linked to Orly Weinerman, an Israeli actress and model, they dated from 2005 to 2011.[178][179] At the time, Weinerman publicly denied having any contact with Saif al-Islam, but she has since admitted it, and in September 2012, she asked former British prime minister Tony Blair to intervene in his trial in order to spare his life.[180][181]
In 2009, a party in Montenegro for his 37th birthday included well-known guests such as Oleg Deripaska, Peter Munk and Prince Albert of Monaco.[182]
In April 2016, the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that Saif al-Islam had married in Zintan and had a three-year-old daughter.[183] In his 2021 interview with The New York Times, Saif denied being married and claimed that he was lonely.[184]
He is rumored to be living in a pied-à-terre near Zintan or further south in the village of Qira, the native village of Abdullah Senussi. His former captor, Ejmi al-Atiri of the Zintan Brigades, provides him with bodyguards, along with the Mashashiya tribe and Russian forces.[136] According to Ejmi al-Atiri, Saif al-Islam has developed the hobbies of camping, night rides in the desert, hunting, and reading since his release from prison.[136]
According to The Times in 2017, Saif al-Islam has access to up to $30 billion.[185][137]
British society
In the 2000s, Saif al-Islam was hosted at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle by the British royal family.[186] He also went shooting on Princess Anne's estate in Gloucestershire.[187]
In 2009, he spent a weekend at Waddesdon Manor, home of financier Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, where he was the guest of Peter Mandelson and Nathaniel Rothschild. He later stayed at the Rothschild holiday home in Corfu. Nathaniel Rothschild was a guest at Saif's 37th birthday celebration in Montenegro.[186][188]
In May 2010, Saif al-Islam and British supermodel Naomi Campbell corresponded by e-mail to coordinate Ghislaine Maxwell's visit to Libya.[21]
He owned a £10.9 million mansion in the Hampstead Garden Suburb area of London.[189][190] The property was seized in 2011 and remained unoccupied as of 2022.[191][192]
Links with the London School of Economics
Saif al-Islam received his PhD from the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2008.[193] Through the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation (GICDF), Saif pledged a donation of £1.5 million to support the work of the LSE's Centre for the Study of Global Governance on civil society organisations in North Africa. Following the LSE–Gaddafi affair, the LSE issued a statement indicating that it would cut all financial ties with the country and would accept no further money from the GICDF, having already received and spent the first £300,000 instalment of the donation.[194]
Critics have charged that Gaddafi plagiarized portions of his doctoral dissertation and pressure was put on the LSE to revoke his degree.[195] The LSE set up a review process to evaluate the plagiarism charges[196] in early 2011.[197][198] In November 2011, the review panel stated that the PhD thesis had been "annotated to show where attribution or references should have been made" and recommended that the PhD itself "should not be revoked".[199]
See also
References
- ^ "Gaddafi's son conferred with Hilal-e-Quaid". Business Recorder. 19 May 2006. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ Thomas, Landon (28 February 2010). "Unknotting Father's Reins in Hope of 'Reinventing' Libya". The New York Times.
- ^ "Inside Gaddafi's inner circle". Al Jazeera. 27 February 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
- ^ a b McLean, Alan; Shane, Scott; Tse, Archie (28 November 2010). "A Selection From the Cache of Diplomatic Dispatches". The New York Times.
- ^ "The Politics of Blackmail". Newsweek. 13 September 2008. Archived from the original on 19 May 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
- ^ Black, Ian; Smith, David (27 June 2011). "War crimes court issues Gaddafi arrest warrant". The Guardian.
- ^ a b c "Situation in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya — Public — Warrant of Arrest for Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi" (PDF). International Criminal Court. 27 June 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- ^ "Libya trial: Gaddafi son sentenced to death over war crimes". BBC. 28 July 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Saif al-Islam Gaddafi freed from prison in Zintan". Al Jazeera. 11 June 2017.
- ^ Xypolia, Ilia (3 July 2017). "News of Saif al-Islam's release: regional politics fuels rumour mill in Libya". News24. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ a b The Office of the Prosecutor (9 May 2018). "Fifteenth report of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to the United Nations Security Council pursuant to UNSCR 1970 (2011)" (PDF). International Criminal Court. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
- ^ "Saif al-Islam Gaddafi: Son of Libya ex-ruler runs for president". BBC News. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Libyan election authority rejects Gaddafi scion's candidacy for president: Report". WION.
- ^ "Libyan court reinstates Saif Gaddafi as presidential candidate". Al Jazeera. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ "سيف الإسلام القذافي "يعود إلى السباق الرئاسي" في ليبيا بقرار قضائي" [Saif al-Islam Gaddafi "returns to the presidential race" in Libya by a judicial decision]. BBC News (in Arabic). 2 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ Helgren, Chris (2 December 2021). "Libya court reinstates Gaddafi presidential bid amid election chaos". Reuters. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ Afiouni, Nevine (26 October 2011). "Qaddafi's children as controversial as father". Al Arabiya. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Special Report - The Michael Corleone of Libya". Reuters. 12 April 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ a b Guardian Staff (18 March 2004). "'My father is a visionary, not king or president'". the Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "Saif al-Islam Gaddafi: the prophet of his own doom". the Guardian. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Saif Gaddafi: London life of former playboy who could lead Libya revealed". the Guardian. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ The Desert Is Not Silent, Internet Archive record, Historical index.
- ^ Commercial partners of "The Desert Is Not Silent", Internet Archive record, 29 June 2007.
- ^ Hamilton, Graeme (17 September 2005). "Sponsor Quits ' Lurid' Gaddafi Show". National Post. Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023 – via PressReader.
- ^ "Gaddafi's son settles for apology in libel case". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi: an apology". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ Brown, Alexi Mostrous and David. "Dictator's son who charmed his way to the heart of the business and political elite". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ Alqadhafi, Saif Al-Islam, The role of civil society in the democratisation of global governance institutions: from "soft power" to collective decision-making? Archived 28 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, London School of Economics Library, 2008.
- ^ Gaddafi son calls for democracy, BBC News, 16 September 2009.
- ^ Desai, Meghnad (2011) LSE is paying a heavy price for Saif Gaddafi's PhD: When it comes to Saif Gaddafi and his PhD, hindsight is indeed a wonderful thing, The Guardian, Friday 4 March 2011
- ^ Alqadhafi, Saif Al-Islam (2008) The role of civil society in the democratisation of global governance institutions: from "soft power" to collective decision-making? A thesis submitted to the Department of Philosophy of the London School of Economics for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, September 2007, and published 2008, p.4.
- ^ Sherwin, Adam (2 March 2011). "Gaddafi son plagiarised his thesis at LSE". The Independent. London. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ^ a b "Qaddafi's son declares he's leaving politics" Archived 15 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), 22 August 2008.
- ^ a b Harchaoui, Jalel (16 September 2021). "Today's Libya Won't Be Easy For Gadhafi's Son". New Lines Magazine. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e James Verini (22 May 2011). "The Good Bad Son". Retrieved 20 June 2011.
- ^ "Fin de partie pour Mesmari – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). 7 December 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ a b "Arrested Gaddafi's top aide says was "set up"". Reuters. 2 December 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "Listing on Global Hand". Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ^ "LIBYA: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL COMPLETES FIRST FACT-FINDING VISIT IN OVER FIVE YEARS". 29 May 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ^ "Libya: In Repressive Atmosphere, Pockets of Improvement". 12 December 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ^ "Tripoli Spring - How Libya's behind-the-scenes reformer is actually, well, reforming". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ^ Ian Black (16 December 2010). "Gaddafi's son retreats on human rights in Libya". the Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ^ "Creative Writing (page 1)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
- ^ "White Book (ISRATIN)". 8 May 2003. Archived from the original on 30 May 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
- ^ a b c Agreement on Peace between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front dated 2 June 2001
- ^ Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro
- ^ VOA: Italy to Pay $5 Billion to Libya in Landmark Accord, 30 August 2008, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Italy.
- ^ "Italy suspends friendship treaty with Libya". CNN. 28 February 2011. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ Miles, Oliver (16 August 2008). "The long road to normalisation". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
- ^ "Lockerbie evidence not disclosed". BBC. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
- ^ a b (in French) Seif el-Islam Kadhafi : "La Libye sera un pays heureux", Le Figaro, 7 December 2007.
- ^ "Sarkozy denies weapons deals to Libya", Jerusalem Post. 4 August 2007. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
- ^ "EADS confirms it is selling military equipment to Libya", New York Times. 3 August 2007. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
- ^ "Profile: Colonel Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam", The Telegraph. 22 August 2009. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
- ^ Pleming, Sue (20 November 2008). "Rice meets Gaddafi son, asks about dissident". The Malaysian Star. Reuters. Archived from the original on 27 October 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ^ Mohamed Eljahmi. "Don't Let My Brother's Death Be In Vain". Forbes.com. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ^ "Tripoli Spring". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ^ McLean, Alan; Shane, Scott; Tse, Archie (28 November 2010). "A Selection From the Cache of Diplomatic Dispatches". New York Times.
- ^ "The Accomplice". Vanity Fair. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Libye: de nouveaux morts lors d'une opération des forces libyennes". La Dépêche du Midi. Agence France-Presse. 19 February 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2011. (Translation)
- ^ "In the Name of the Father". Newsweek. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- ^ "Al Jazeera English - Saif El Islam Gadaffi addresses the nation - Part 1 of 3". YouTube. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011.
- ^ Gaddafi's son talks of conspiracy, Al Jazeera, 20 February 2011.
- ^ How will Libya's protests play out?, Oliver Miles, The Guardian, 20 February 2011.
- ^ Libya on brink as protests hit Tripoli, Ian Black, The Guardian, 21 February 2011.
- ^ "Yes, Saif is a Gaddafi. But there's still a real reformer inside | Benjamin Barber". the Guardian. 13 April 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ Verini, James (20 May 2011). "How Saif Qaddafi Became Indistinguishable From His Father, Colonel Muammar Qaddafi -- New York Magazine - Nymag". New York Magazine. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- ^ 'This Week' Transcript: Saif al-Islam and Saadi Gadhafi, ABC News.
- ^ "Saif Al Gaddafi suspended from the Forum of Young Global Leaders". World Economic Forum. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "My last encounter with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi". France 24. 21 November 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "The secret talks that nearly saved Gaddafi". The Independent. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ Denyer, Simon (2 May 2011). "Mourners vow revenge as Gaddafi's son is buried". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Nato strike 'kills Saif al-Arab Gaddafi', Libya says". BBC News. 1 May 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ Carey, Nick (16 June 2011). "Rebels dismiss election offer, NATO pounds Tripoli". Reuters. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
- ^ "Libya: Muammar Gaddafi subject to ICC arrest warrant". BBC News. 27 June 2011.
- ^ "Gaddafi's son claims Nato wants deal with Libya". the Guardian. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "Libyan rebel commander Abdel Fattah Younes killed". BBC News. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Killing Abdul Fattah Younes". The New Yorker. 30 July 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ Smith, David (1 July 2011). "Gaddafi's son claims Nato wants deal with Libya". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ Kirkpatrick, David D. (3 August 2011). "Libya Allying With Islamists, Qaddafi Son Says". The New York Times.
- ^ "Libya Rebels in Tripoli as Qaddafi's Defenses Collapse". Fox News. Associated Press. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
- ^ "Reports of Saif al-Islam Qaddafi's Capture False, Appears in Tripoli". Fox News. 22 August 2011.
- ^ "Col Gaddafi Son Saif Free And In Tripoli". Sky News. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
- ^ "Gaddafi sons free as rebels and loyalists fight for Tripoli". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ "Gadhafi son vows 'victory soon'". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ^ Denyer, Simon (20 May 2023). "Libyan fighters prepare for assault on Gaddafi desert bastion". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam shown on Arrai TV". Reuters. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ "Insider describes Saif al-Islam Qaddafi escape from Bani Walid". Al Arabia News. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- ^ "Libya: relaxed Saif al-Islam Gaddafi tells of injury by 'Nato infidels'". The Telegraph. London. 21 November 2011. Archived from the original on 21 November 2011.
- ^ "Gaddafi's son had fingers 'cut off'". The Australian. 24 November 2011.
- ^ "Libya's NTC claim Saif al-Islam Gaddafi captured alive, uninjured". Digital Journal. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ "Gaddafi son preparing to flee Libya: NTC official". Reuters. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "International legal team demands protection for Saif Gaddafi from planned NATO assassination". Indiavision news. 25 October 2011. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
- ^ "Gaddafi's son hires mercenaries to flee". Indiavision News. 31 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2011.
- ^ a b "Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam captured in Libya". BBC. 19 November 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ Spencer, Richard (20 November 2011). "Libya: conflict brewing over trial of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
- ^ "Libye : " Le jour où j'ai capturé Seif al-Islam Kadhafi "". MSN (in French). Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "Gaddafi son needs surgery on gangrenous fingers: doctor". Reuters. 24 November 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's gangrenous fingers must be amputated, says doctor - video". The Guardian. 25 November 2011. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ Walt, Vivienne (19 November 2011). "The Capture of Gaddafi's Son: The Reformer Who Refused to Reform". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Saif al-Islam Gaddafi now scared, alone and pondering his fate". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "'No Libyan response' on Gaddafi son as deadline nears". BBC News. 10 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Public Redacted Version of "OPCD Observations on Libya's Submissions Regarding the Arrest of Saif Al-Islam" (ICC-01/11-01/11-51-Conf, 2 February 2012)". www.icc-cpi.int.
- ^ "ICC legal team held over Saif al-Islam visit". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "ICC lawyer meeting Gaddafi son detained in Libya". Reuters. 9 June 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Libya frees international criminal court legal team accused of spying". the Guardian. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Gaddafi's son to be tried in September". France 24. AFP. 23 August 2012.
- ^ "Libya 'sets September trial' for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi". BBC News. 23 August 2012.
- ^ Ali Shuaib (17 January 2013). "Gaddafi's son appears in Libyan court for first time". Reuters. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- ^ "Libya court reopens trial of Gaddafi regime figures". Daily India Mail. IANS. 28 April 2014. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Libya must immediately surrender Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi to the ICC". Amnesty International. 21 May 2014. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014.
- ^ "In Libya, The Militias Rule While Government Founders". NPR.org. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ Caryl, Christian (9 August 2013). "Zintan Versus the World". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Libya trial: Gaddafi son sentenced to death over war crimes". 28 July 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- ^ David D. Kirkpatrick (28 July 2015). "Libyan Court Sentences Qaddafi Son to Death". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- ^ Eyder Peralta (28 July 2015). "In Libya, Gadhafi's Son, Saif Al-Islam, Is Sentenced To Death In Absentia". NPR. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- ^ Stephen, Chris (7 July 2016). "Gaddafi son Saif al-Islam freed after death sentence quashed". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ^ "Gaddafi's son Saif still in prison in western Libya, military source says". Yahoo News. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- ^ "Comment Saïf al-Islam est devenu une monnaie d'échange entre les factions libyennes". Middle East Eye édition française (in French). Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ "Libya: Why the Gaddafi loyalists are back". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Libya's Saif al-Islam survives 'assassination attempt' in Zintan". The News Arab. 9 May 2017.
- ^ "Saif al-Islam Gaddafi case: ICC calls for arrest of ex-Libya leader's son". BBC. 14 June 2017.
- ^ "ICC Prosecutor calls for the immediate arrest and surrender of the suspects, Mssrs Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi and Al-Tuhamy Mohamed Khaled to the Court". International Criminal Court. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- ^ "Gaddafi son Saif al-Islam freed by Libyan militia". the Guardian. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ a b "ANALYSIS: Gaddafists rally forces as Libya yearns for stability". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ Cousins, Michel (24 August 2017). "Saif Al-Islam reported in Wershifana area". LibyaHerald. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ Borger, Julian (6 December 2017). "After six years in jail, Gaddafi's son Saif plots return to Libya's turbulent politics". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Saif al-Islam: The Only Hope to Reunite Gaddafi's Supporters". Asharq AL-awsat. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ Crilly, Rob (20 March 2018). "Gaddafi's son Saif 'to run for Libyan president' in 2018 elections". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
- ^ "Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to run for Libya president". Middle East Eye.
- ^ Saif al-Islam Makes New Appearance, retrieved 1 February 2023
- ^ "The Libya Times - Saif al-Islam Makes New 'Appearance' and Wins Backing from Father's Ally". 1 August 2018. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Haftar ordered murdering Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi in prison, Zintani senior leader says | The Libya Observer". libyaobserver.ly. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi case: ICC Appeals Chamber confirms case is admissible before the ICC". International Criminal Court. 9 March 2020. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ "Turkey leading search campaign for Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi: report". Home Page. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ a b c "Libya: The search for ever elusive Seif al-Islam Gaddafi". The Africa Report.com. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Libya: Ten things to know about Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, the 'favourite son'". The Africa Report.com. 29 December 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Saif al-Gaddafi's lawyer elected ICC's new chief prosecutor | The Libya Observer". libyaobserver.ly. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "ICC Prosecutor recuses himself from Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi's case | The Libya Observer". libyaobserver.ly. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ Tunis, Samer al-Atrush. "Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam wants to run for Libya president". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ "Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said to be considering presidential run". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ a b c Worth, Robert F.; Nga, Jehad (30 July 2021). "Qaddafi's Son Is Alive. And He Wants to Take Libya Back". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ "Muammar Gaddafi's son suggests he may run for president in Libya". 30 July 2021.
- ^ "Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's Statements Raise Suspicions". english.aawsat.com. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- ^ Siryoti, Daniel (21 May 2021). "Israeli firm hired by both presidential hopefuls in Libya". www.israelhayom.com. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Libya's Election Campaigns Are Run by Israelis: The Full Story". Al Bawaba. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Son of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi runs for president". TheGuardian.com. 14 November 2021.
- ^ Musa, Rami (24 November 2021). "Libya: Gadhafi son disqualified from running for president". Associated Press. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Saif al-Islam Gaddafi says judges refuse to hold hearing on disqualification appeal". Al Arabiya. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
- ^ "Pro-Haftar gunmen prevent Sabha court from looking into Saif Gaddafi's appeals | The Libya Observer". libyaobserver.ly. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Libya: What's next for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi?". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "UNSMIL warns against acts that could serve to deprive Libyans of exercising their democratic right". UNSMIL. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Saif Al Islam Qaddafi reinstated as Libyan presidential candidate". The National. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ ex_admin (5 December 2021). "Saif Gaddafi secretly visited Egypt for meeting with El-Sisi". Libyan Express. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Saif Gaddafi proposes initiative for Libyan crisis". The Libya Observer. 29 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
- ^ "مبادرة لسيف الإسلام القذافي تدعو لانسحاب كافة الشخصيات السياسية". Al Arabiya (in Arabic). 5 July 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi unveils initiative to solve political crisis – The North Africa Post". Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ ex_admin (7 July 2022). "Gadhafi's son announced a political settlement to the conflict in Libya". Libyan Express. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ "Seif al-Islam Gaddafi Denies Striking Deal to Release His Brother from Lebanon". Asharq AL-awsat. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "Dbeibah demands Saif Gaddafi to comply with ICC orders | The Libya Observer". libyaobserver.ly. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "Libya: Saif Gaddafi confirms the legality of his candidacy for the presidency". Middle East Monitor. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "Concerns grow over health of late Libyan leader's hunger-striker son". Arab News. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- ^ Assad, Abdulkader (23 September 2023). "Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi blames February revolution for Derna floods". The Libya Observer. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ "How a Russian Plan to Restore Qaddafi's Regime Backfired". Bloomberg. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Libya releases 2 Russians detained on spying charges". Middle East Monitor. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ Grove, Jared Malsin and Thomas (5 October 2021). "Researcher or Spy? Maxim Shugaley Saga Points to How Russia Now Builds Influence Abroad". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Saif al-Islam Gaddafi in Moscow for Secret Talks with Russians". LibyaReview. 19 September 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Sources reveal a secret visit by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to Damascus.. What does he want from Assad?". Archived from the original on 29 June 2021.
- ^ "With Russia's Blessings: Gaddafi's Son Might Be Libya's Next President!". Al Bawaba. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Wagner: Gaddafi's son faces arrest over Russian mercenaries". BBC News. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Report unveils details of meeting between Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi and Russia's Wagner leaders | The Libya Observer". libyaobserver.ly. 21 January 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ News, Jihane Rahhou-Morocco World. "French President Macron Suspected of Receiving Money from Gaddafi's Son in 2017". www.moroccoworldnews.com/. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
{{cite web}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ^ "ما خفي أعظم ـ "أسرار شوغالي"". www.aljazeera.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "Libya's first lady owns 20 tons of gold". Al Arabiya. 6 March 2011. Archived from the original on 9 March 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ^ "Budapest Report – Gaddafi's wife revealed to be Hungarian". Budapest Report. 18 April 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ "Word View from Off the Strip – Gaddafi's wife Safiya". Word View from Off the Strip. 25 February 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ "Aus Zsófia Farkas wurdeSafiya al-Barassi al-Gaddafi". Journal. 16 July 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "Orly Weinerman". Der Spiegel (in German). 16 January 2006. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ "Terra Chá, tierra de centenarios: Hechos y figuras". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). A Coruña, Spain. 15 January 2006. Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
- ^ רשות המסים נגד אורלי ויינרמן [Tax Authority against Orly Weinerman]. Ynet (in Hebrew). 5 March 2006. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ "Israeli model admits to six year affair with Gaddafi's son, begs Blair to help save his life". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ^ Milo with billionaires at Saif Gadaffi's birthday party, Visit Montenegro, 28 June 2009.
- ^ "La nuova vita di Gheddafi Jr". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 12 April 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ Tavernise, Sabrina; Guillemette, Daniel; Chaturvedi, Asthaa; Cheung, Jessica; Bonja, Rachelle; Benoist, Mike; Powell, Dan; Lozano, Marion; Ittoop, Elisheba (22 October 2021). "Qaddafi's Son Is Alive, and He Wants to Take Back Libya". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ Rome, Bel Trew (20 June 2017). "Gaddafi's freed son Saif 'has access to $30bn'". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Saif al-Islam Gaddafi: The new face of Libyan defiance", Jamie Doward. The Guardian. 26 February 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
- ^ Goodley, Simon (18 March 2011). "Secretive fixer linked to Libya for 40 years". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "Gaddafi son at heart of British society" Archived 26 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Joe Murphy. Evening Standard. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
- ^ "Gaddafi son's London home seized by squatters". Reuters. 9 March 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "Saif al-Islam Gaddafi can't sell his London house". Al Arabiya English. 27 February 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ Peachey, Paul (1 February 2022). "Libya's rotting London mansion and the mystery of the missing Qaddafi billions". The National. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "Gaddafi London home taken over by squatters". BBC News. 9 March 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "LSE Director steps down – 03 – 2011 – News archive – News – News and media – Home". .lse.ac.uk. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
- ^ Statement on Libya, London School of Economics, February 2011.
- ^ Owen, Jonathan (6 March 2011). "Gaddafi son's LSE thesis 'written by Libyan academic'". independent.co.uk. The Independent. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
Fresh evidence emerged yesterday revealing how Saif Gaddafi, the son of the Libyan leader, plagiarised his PhD thesis at the London School of Economics.
- ^ Pressure on LSE to annul Gaddafi son's PhD, Chris Cook, Financial Times, 24 February 2011
- ^ Eliot Sefton, LSE investigates Saif Gaddafi plagiarism claims, The First Post, 1 March 2011.
- ^ Sellgren, Katherine (1 March 2011). "LSE investigates Gaddafi's son plagiarism claims". BBC News. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
- ^ "LSE response to the Woolf Inquiry – 11 – 2011 – News archive – News – News and media – Home". .lse.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
External links
Media related to Saif al-Islam Muammar Al-Gaddafi at Wikimedia Commons
- "Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation". Archived from the original on 26 April 2011.
- Profile at GlobalSecurity.org
- Factbox: Facts about Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Reuters, 21 February 2011