Son of Gaddafi Freed from Libyan Jail

Reuters file phot of Saadi Gaddafi
Reuters file phot of Saadi Gaddafi
TT

Son of Gaddafi Freed from Libyan Jail

Reuters file phot of Saadi Gaddafi
Reuters file phot of Saadi Gaddafi

Saadi Gaddafi, a son of Libya's late leader Moammer Gaddafi who was overthrown and killed in a 2011 uprising, has been freed from jail, a justice ministry source confirmed to AFP Sunday.

"Saadi Moammer Gaddafi has been freed from prison," following a court ruling several years ago, the source said -- without saying whether he was still in the country.

Several media reports on Sunday suggested Gaddafi had already taken a flight to Turkey.

Another source, who works at the prosecutor's office, confirmed to AFP that Gaddafi had been freed.

"The chief prosecutor asked, several months ago, for the execution of the decision relating to Saadi Gaddafi as soon as all the required conditions had been satisfied," said the source.

Gaddafi was free to stay or leave, the source added.

Saadi, 47, fled to Niger following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising, but was extradited to Libya in 2014.

A former professional footballer in Italy, Saadi had been held in a Tripoli prison, accused of crimes committed against protesters and of the 2005 killing of Libyan football coach Bashir al-Rayani.

In April 2018, the court of appeal acquitted him of Rayani's murder.



Syria Defense Minister Rejects Kurdish Proposal to Remain Distinct Military Bloc

Fighters from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army faction ride in a "technical" pickup truck at a position near the Tishrin Dam in the vicinity of Manbij, in the east of Syria's northern Aleppo province, on January 10, 2025 amidst ongoing battles with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP)
Fighters from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army faction ride in a "technical" pickup truck at a position near the Tishrin Dam in the vicinity of Manbij, in the east of Syria's northern Aleppo province, on January 10, 2025 amidst ongoing battles with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP)
TT

Syria Defense Minister Rejects Kurdish Proposal to Remain Distinct Military Bloc

Fighters from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army faction ride in a "technical" pickup truck at a position near the Tishrin Dam in the vicinity of Manbij, in the east of Syria's northern Aleppo province, on January 10, 2025 amidst ongoing battles with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP)
Fighters from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army faction ride in a "technical" pickup truck at a position near the Tishrin Dam in the vicinity of Manbij, in the east of Syria's northern Aleppo province, on January 10, 2025 amidst ongoing battles with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP)

Syria's new defense minister said on Sunday it would not be right for US-backed Kurdish fighters based in the country's northeast to retain their own bloc within the broader integrated Syrian armed forces.
Speaking to Reuters at the defense ministry in Damascus, Murhaf Abu Qasra said the head of the Kurdish fighters, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, was procrastinating in its handling of the complex issue.