A judge in Lebanon has ordered the release on bail and imposed a travel ban on Hannibal Gaddafi, the youngest son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Hannibal has been held in pre-trial detention for nearly a decade.
Lebanon’s National News Agency confirmed the bail ruling on Friday in connection with a case related to the kidnapping and disappearance of revered Lebanese Shia leader Musa al-Sadr in Libya.
### Background of the Case
Lebanese authorities arrested Hannibal Gaddafi in 2015, accusing him of withholding information about the disappearance of Musa al-Sadr in Libya in 1978 — a case that continues to capture public attention in Lebanon.
Musa al-Sadr, an iconic figure in Lebanon and founder of the Amal Movement (now an ally of Hezbollah), disappeared during a visit to meet then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Alongside al-Sadr, an aide and a journalist also vanished without a trace.
Al-Sadr’s disappearance has sparked decades of theories and accusations of official involvement by Gaddafi’s regime. Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in a 2011 uprising, and relations between the two countries have been strained ever since.
Nabih Berri, Lebanon’s parliament speaker and al-Sadr’s successor as head of the Amal Movement, has accused Libya’s new authorities of failing to cooperate on the issue—a claim Libya denies.
### Legal Developments and Controversy
Hannibal Gaddafi has been held in Lebanese prison since 2015 without trial, which many view as a tactic to force answers about al-Sadr’s fate in Libya.
However, Gaddafi’s lawyer, Laurent Bayon, criticized the court’s recent decision, calling the release on bail “totally unacceptable in a case of arbitrary detention.” Bayon told AFP news agency his team would challenge the bail ruling.
Bayon also noted that Hannibal Gaddafi is subject to international sanctions and cannot afford the substantial bail amount set at $11 million, questioning, “Where do you want him to find $11m?”
An additional point raised by Bayon concerns Hannibal’s age: he is currently 49 years old, meaning he was around two years old at the time of al-Sadr’s disappearance.
### Response from al-Sadr’s Family
Following the judge’s decision, the al-Sadr family released a statement expressing their “surprise” at the bail ruling but emphasized they would “not interfere today in [the judge’s] decision to release him.”
They further clarified, “The arrest or release of Hannibal Gaddafi is not our goal, but rather a mere legal procedure. Our primary issue is the disappearance of the imam [al-Sadr].”
### Human Rights Concerns and Health Issues
In August, Human Rights Watch urged Lebanon to release Hannibal Gaddafi immediately, citing his wrongful imprisonment on “apparently unsubstantiated allegations” related to withholding information about al-Sadr.
Concerns intensified last week when Gaddafi was hospitalized for abdominal pain. He reportedly suffers from depression and has undergone a hunger strike to protest his prolonged detention without trial.
In 2023, Libyan authorities formally requested Lebanon to release Hannibal due to his deteriorating health. Libyan Prosecutor General Al-Sediq al-Sour sent an official request to his Lebanese counterpart, Ghassan Oueidat, suggesting that Lebanon’s cooperation in freeing Hannibal could facilitate uncovering the truth about al-Sadr’s disappearance.
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The case remains a sensitive and complex issue touching on historical disappearances, regional politics, and ongoing demands for justice in Lebanon and Libya.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/18/lebanon-court-orders-son-of-late-libyan-leader-gaddafi-freed-on-11m-bail?traffic_source=rss
