Concerns have arisen in Libya following the leakage of photographs depicting Hannibal Gadhafi, the son of Libya’s former ruler Muammar Gadhafi, and the cramped underground cell where he has reportedly been detained for several years in Lebanon.
The photographs have prompted Libyan authorities to demand improvements amid growing discontent over Gadhafi’s living conditions.
The images, aired by local Al-Jadeed TV, reveal a room devoid of natural light, densely packed with Hannibal Gadhafi’s personal belongings, a bed, and a small toilet. Gadhafi is quoted as saying, “I live in misery,” emphasizing his status as a political prisoner entangled in a case he has no information about.
Two Lebanese judicial officials have verified the authenticity of the photos, confirming that they depict Gadhafi and the confinement space at Beirut’s police headquarters. In the images, Gadhafi appears in good health, sporting a light beard and glasses.
A Libyan national who is in frequent communication with Gadhafi asserted that the photographs were captured in recent days.
The leaks by Al-Jadeed come amid reports of Gadhafi receiving preferential treatment at the police headquarters, including allegations of cosmetic surgeries including hair transplants and teeth improvements. Al-Jadeed quoted him as saying: “Let them take my hair and teeth and give me my freedom.”
Gadhafi has been detained in Lebanon since 2015, following his abduction from Syria, where he sought refuge. Lebanese militants seized him, seeking information regarding the disappearance of prominent Lebanese Shiite cleric Moussa al-Sadr in 1978.
The fate of al-Sadr remains a contentious issue in Lebanon, with his family hopeful that he might still be alive, while many Lebanese presume that al-Sadr who would be 95 now, might already be deceased.
In January, a delegation from Libya traveled to Beirut to resume discussions with Lebanese authorities regarding the fate of al-Sadr and the release of Gadhafi. The objective was to revive a dormant agreement between Lebanon and Libya, forged in 2014, for collaboration in investigating al-Sadr’s disappearance. However, contrary to initial plans, the delegation did not return to Beirut as scheduled.
In June last year, Gadhafi went on a hunger strike and was taken to the hospital after his health deteriorated, further intensifing concerns about his well-being.
In response to the revelations, Libya’s Justice Ministry has called for an improvement in Gadhafi’s living conditions to uphold his dignity and demanded his release, adding that Lebanese authorities should formally inform the ministry of the improvements.
Lebanese authorities, meanwhile, have accused Gadhafi of withholding information regarding al-Sadr’s disappearance, leading to his continued detention.
After his kidnap in 2015, Lebanese authorities freed him but then detained him, accusing him of hiding information about al-Sadr’s disappearance.
Human Rights Watch has advocated for Gadhafi’s release, highlighting that he was just 2-years-old at the time of al-Sadr’s disappearance and that he had held no senior position in Libyan affairs as an adult.
Al-Sadr founded the Amal group, a Shiite militia that fought in Lebanon’s 1975-90 civil war and later became a political party that is currently led by the country’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Many of al-Sadr’s followers are convinced that Muammar Gadhafi ordered al-Sadr killed in a dispute over Libyan payments to Lebanese militias.
Melissa Enoch
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