Lebanon court orders son of late Libyan leader Gaddafi freed on $11m bail

A Lebanese court has ordered the release on $11m bail and imposed a travel ban on Hannibal Gaddafi, the youngest son of Muammar Gaddafi. He has been held without trial in Lebanon for nearly a decade. The decision comes as part of a case related to the kidnapping and disappearance of Lebanese Shia leader Musa al-Sadr in Libya.

Gaddafi's lawyer described the bail ruling as "totally unacceptable" and vowed to challenge it. His client is under international sanctions, making it impossible for him to pay the large bail fee. The lawyer questioned where Gaddafi could find $11m.

The arrest of Gaddafi in 2015 was over allegations that he withheld information about al-Sadr's disappearance in Libya in 1978 - a case still gripping public attention in Lebanon. Al-Sadr went missing on his visit along with an aide and a journalist, none of whom have been heard from since.

The Lebanese parliament speaker accused the Libyan authorities of not cooperating on the issue, which Libya denies. Hannibal Gaddafi has been held without trial since 2015 as part of what many see as a means to extract answers about al-Sadr's disappearance in Libya.

Gaddafi is now 49 years old, meaning that he was just two when al-Sadr went missing. The family of the imam has published a statement protesting Gaddafi's release and expressing surprise at the bail ruling. However, they added that their primary concern remains al-Sadr's disappearance.

Human Rights Watch urged Lebanon to release Gaddafi in August, citing "apparently unsubstantiated allegations" about him withholding information. Last week, Libyan authorities sent a request to Lebanon to release Gaddafi due to his deteriorating health after he went on hunger strike protesting his detention without trial.

Honestly, can't believe the Lebanese court decided to drop this bombshell – Hannibal Gaddafi is finally going free after nearly a decade. 11 million dollars bail? Come on, how's that even gonna happen with international sanctions all over him? And his lawyer just said it's totally unacceptable... lol like what's gonna change now? His health is deteriorating and he's on hunger strike – guess that'll get the attention of Lebanon's court. Human Rights Watch was saying this guy hasn't been tried or anything, so I'm not sure why he's stuck in limbo for so long. Guess you could say his family has some major concerns about Musa al-Sadr still being MIA...

I'm not sure if the decision to release Hannibal Gaddafi is entirely fair considering his family and friends are still searching for Musa al-Sadr's whereabouts after all these years . The fact that his lawyer thinks $11m bail is "totally unacceptable" is quite telling, but what about Hannibal himself? He was just two when al-Sadr disappeared, can't he be given a break? I mean, the human rights watch already said there are no solid evidence against him. Maybe this bail ruling will push Libya to do some serious digging into Musa's disappearance once and for all . What do you guys think? Should Hannibal go free or is he still a suspect in al-Sadr's case ?

Gaddafi's been locked up for 10 yrs and still no justice for al-Sadr

This is crazy , Hannibal Gaddafi has been stuck in Lebanon for ages and now someone just throws him $11m bail but it's all super sketchy ... like where is he supposed to get that kinda cash ? And his lawyer is already saying they're gonna fight it , but honestly, can't the Lebanese court just let this guy go already? It's been 10 years or something and it's still all about Musa al-Sadr's disappearance ... so many questions remain unanswered

im thinking that lebanon should be commended for taking action in this case lol . it's been 9 years since hannibal gaddafi was arrested and he's still not tried? that's some crazy stuff fam . i know a lot of ppl are gonna disagree with the bail ruling, but from what im gathering, lebanon is just trying to get to the bottom of musa al-sadr's disappearance, which has been super puzzling for years .

i mean, who wouldn't want justice for someone who went missing all those years ago? it's not like gaddafi's gonna use that 11m bail to run off or anything, lol . plus, human rights watch is saying that the allegations against him are kinda sketchy... so maybe we should be giving lebanon some props for doing their thing

so the bail ruling for Hannibal Gaddafi is $11m... that's crazy and his lawyer saying it's "totally unacceptable" is kinda fair, considering he's under international sanctions and can't exactly pay a 10 million dollar fine anyway, this whole situation with Musa al-Sadr's disappearance in '78 still isn't being addressed properly the fact that Hannibal Gaddafi has been held for nearly a decade without trial is already super problematic and now he's only getting released because of his health issues? it feels like he might be getting outta there before they figure out what really happened to al-Sadr...

I'm so confused by this whole thing ... I mean, Hannibal was just two years old when Musa al-Sadr disappeared, and now he's been held for nearly a decade! It's crazy that the Lebanese court is making him pay $11m bail - that's insane . And his lawyer is all upset because it's impossible for him to afford it... like where else is he gonna get that kind of cash? . I feel bad for Gaddafi, but at the same time, you've got to think about Musa al-Sadr's family and how much they deserve answers about what happened to their loved one. It's a tough situation all around . Maybe it's time for both sides to just talk things out and work together to get some justice?

I dont get why we gotta make Hannibal pay 11 million for somethin he didnt do . He's been held in Lebanon for almost a decade and still no trial. I mean, what kinda system is this? The lawyer is all right though, he should totally take it to court . And omg his client is under international sanctions so how is he sposed to find that kind of cash . Its just not fair to the kid. Al Sadr's disappearance is still a mystery but why does Hannibal have to suffer for it?

i dont think it's fair that hannibal gaddafi has been held for so long with no trial just because of the disappearance of musa al-sadr... 11m bail is a lot, but what if he didn't do anything wrong? the law has to be fair and not just target one person. his health is also bad after being on hunger strike and libya says he should be released because of it... maybe lebanon can consider releasing him on bail instead of making him pay 11m

i wonder what really happened to musa al-sadr... all these years and still no answers this case is so tragic for his family and friends... they deserve justice too the lebanese parliament speaker is right that libya should cooperate on the issue, but it seems like nothing is being done about it

gaddafi is not just a suspect in this case, he's also human being with rights... 49 years old and still held without trial his lawyer has every right to challenge the bail ruling... let's hope for justice for musa al-sadr's family and Hannibal gaddafi too

OMG, can you believe it?! The youngest son of Muammar Gaddafi is finally gonna be free... kinda . I mean, $11m bail seems like a lot, but what's the point if he's still under international sanctions? His lawyer's all bent outta shape about this decision tho . I feel for him, I really do. He was held without trial for almost a decade and now he's only being released because of his dad's health issues . It just don't seem fair to me . And what's the deal with all this drama around Musa al-Sadr's disappearance? Like, where were the answers all these years?!