Libyans across the political spectrum reacted widely on Friday to Lebanon’s decision to release Hannibal, the son of the late president Muammar Gaddafi, as questions mounted over where he will go in the coming days and whether he plans to return to Libya or join his siblings Al-Saadi, Mohamed and Ayesha, and his mother, Safia Farkash.
A wave of celebration swept parts of the country, especially among Gaddafi loyalists, after authorities announced the release.
The media and rights committee advocating for him said news of the “initiation of procedures for his release, after years of unlawful detention, represents a victory of justice over political blackmail.”
Responding to questions about Hannibal’s destination, a senior figure in the former regime said that “so far, the country that Captain Hannibal will travel to has not been determined”
He added: “Of course, we welcome him among his family and brothers, but he will not come to Libya for security reasons related to securing him.”
The former official told Asharq Al-Awsat he expects Hannibal to “join any of his family members who are currently between Türkiye, Egypt and the Sultanate of Oman, or perhaps go to a European country.”
Hannibal’s French lawyer, Laurent Bayon, told local media late on Thursday that his client “is still in prison but will leave Lebanon soon for a country that cannot be disclosed,” adding that Hannibal “does not want to return to Libya at the moment.”
Mohamed al-Asmar, head of the Libyan Umma Center for Studies, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “It is still not known where Mr. Hannibal will go, but I do not think he will come to Libya at this stage.”
The committee defending Hannibal expressed its gratitude on Thursday evening to the “honorable Libyan tribes that stood with firmness and dignity, and to the social delegations and popular leaders who followed the case with sincerity.”
It also praised “all official Libyan governmental and judicial bodies in Tripoli, and the head and members of the legal team, for the cooperation and follow-up that helped conclude this humanitarian and national case.”
The committee voiced its “deep appreciation to all local and international rights organizations that called for freedom and justice,” and thanked the Lebanese judiciary for its “positive response at the end of the process,” saying “the scales of justice finally prevailed over political blackmail, in a step recorded in favor of legal and humanitarian values.”
Al-Saadi al-Gaddafi expressed his happiness over the news of his brother’s release, writing on an account attributed to him on the X platform: “To my beloved millions, I bring you the news of Hannibal’s release.”
He also thanked the Lebanese government, as well as Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, head of Libya’s interim Government of National Unity, and several of its officials.
Al-Saadi, who has been living in Türkiye since leaving Libya, had been acquitted by the Criminal Chamber of the Tripoli Court of Appeals in April 2018 of charges of killing and torturing a football player in 2005.
Despite the acquittal, he remained in prison until his release on September 6, 2021, after which he left for Türkiye amid conflicting reports about his current place of residence. The widow of Gaddafi resides in Cairo, while Oman hosts his daughter Ayesha and his son Mohamed.
Safia Farkash, Gaddafi’s second wife, left Libya after the outbreak of the February 2011 uprising, accompanied by Hannibal, Ayesha and Mohamed, her husband’s son from his first wife.
Several of her other sons - Aziz al-Arab, Mutassim and Khamis - were killed that same year.
Walid al-Lafi, state minister for communication in the interim Government of National Unity, said Hannibal’s release was “a victory for the February 17 Revolution,” a remark that triggered a wave of criticism.
