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The son of late Libyan dictator Moamar Gaddafi has been freed by an armed group in western Libya where he had been held since shortly after the 2011 revolt against his father, one of his lawyers and the brigade involved said.
Key points:
- Saif is the most prominent of Muammar Gaddafi's children
- He was sentenced to death in 2015 for war crimes, including killing protesters
- No physical evidence of his whereabouts has been offered
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was released in the town of Zintan under an amnesty law passed by a parliament based in eastern Libya, lawyer Khaled al-Zaidi said on Sunday, adding that Saif was headed to another Libyan city he could not name for security reasons.
Saif, 44, is the most prominent of the late leader's children, and was touted by some as a reformist successor before the uprising six years ago in which Gaddafi was toppled and killed.
It is unclear what, if any, role Saif could play in Libya, where a complex array of armed groups and competing governments are vying for control.
But Gaddafi loyalists outside Libya as well as some in the east of the country, where military commander Khalifa Haftar has been building power, have been pressing for Saif's release amid a push from former regime figures to reassert influence.
Saif's lawyer, Mr Zaidi, said his client could play an important part in national reconciliation efforts because he was popular in Libya.
"He will play a pivotal and detailed role in this stage," he said.
Mr Zaidi said Saif would make a statement at some point and would not be turning himself in to the International Criminal Court, which is seeking his arrest.
Earlier reports that Saif had been freed from Zintan turned out to be false and there have long been conflicting rumours about his status.
No physical evidence of his whereabouts has been offered. Saif was last seen by an independent international observer in June 2014.
Zintan's Abubaker Sadiq brigade, which was responsible for guarding Saif, said it had chosen to release him following requests from the justice ministry of a government based in eastern Libya that is a rival to the UN-backed administration in the capital, Tripoli.
"We decided to release Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi, who is free, and we confirm that he left Zintan on the date of his release on the 14th of Ramadan [Friday]," the brigade said.
Saif sentenced to death in 2015
A Tripoli court sentenced Saif to death in absentia in 2015 for war crimes, including killing protesters during the revolution.
A statement posted by the Attorney-General's office in Tripoli on Sunday said he was still wanted under that conviction and that an investigation had been launched into his reported release.
Libya slid into turmoil after Moamar Gaddafi's overthrow, with rival governments and armed alliances competing for power.
It was unclear what terms Saif's captors might have set for his release, and why they would have freed a prisoner seen as a major bargaining chip.
Reuters
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, law-crime-and-justice, world-politics, libyan-arab-jamahiriya