Gaddafi's son reveals details about his abduction from Syria

In an interview with the Russian news agency Sputnik, Hannibal Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, spoke about the details of his abduction from Syria and his arrest in Lebanon and the conduct of his investigation into the disappearance of Imam Musa Al-Sadr. They contacted him and received his answers through his lawyer, Reem Yousef Al Dabri.

How were you abducted from Syria? Who are the kidnappers?

On  6 December 2015, I was kidnapped from Syria by an armed gang and then forcibly evicted from Syria to Lebanon in the Beqaa, west of the country.

The kidnappers imprisoned me for a week during which I was subjected to abuse and physical and mental torture with the aim of forcing me to reveal information about the disappearance of Musa Al-Sadr and Sheikh Muhammad Yaaqoub, father of Abbas Badr Al-Din and the mastermind of the kidnapping, which took place in 1978.

Ali Yaaqoub and Hassan Yaaqoub who planned for my kidnapping from Syria took advantage of the military line to enter Syria without being checked by the Syrians.

You were detained in Lebanon on charges of concealing the truth in the case of Musa Al-Sadr. Are there any formal investigations being conducted or trial, and on what grounds are you in prison? Do you have any information about the disappearance of Musa Al-Sadr and his two companions?:

The Lebanese security forces detain me and, in turn, the magistrate who was investigating the case of the disappearance of Imam Musa Al-Sadr and his two companions, took charge of my case which we can summarise as follows:

In 1978 Musa Al-Sadr disappeared during his visit to Libya with his two friends Mohammed Yaaqoub and journalist Abbas Badr Al-Din.

On April 2, 1981, Decree No. 3974 was issued by the Council of Ministers of Lebanon to refer the case of the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr and his two companions to the Judicial Council.

On August 21, 2008, the indictment in the case of the disappearance of Musa Al-Sadr and his two companions was issued by the investigating judge. The sons of Muammar Al-Gaddafi were accused of kidnapping Imam Al-Sadr, and his two companions and the acts on which the public prosecution was based were transferred in 1981 to the Judicial Council, which began the trial proceedings and is still considering the case.

I was not a witness, a suspect or a wanted person during the period of judicial investigation from 1981 to 2008. The indictment issued on August 21, 2008, by the legal investigator who removed the judge from the investigation and the case did not address me in any capacity, neither as a suspect, a prosecutor, nor a witness or even a person to be heard.

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This means that the reason for my interrogation is my abduction and not a given fact in the case which was closed since 2008. The Lebanese investigating judge does not have any evidence in his closed file. Therefore the reason for the arrest is not judicial, but only because I happen to be Muammar Gaddafi’s son.

Following my rendition from Syria to Lebanon, the Lebanese investigation judge who completed his investigations in 2008 summoned me as a witness to provide information about the disappearance of the Imam Musa Al-Sadr and his two companions. My answer during the interrogation period was that I had no information about the case. The judge thus claimed that I was hiding information on the case of Al-Sadr’s disappearance. Paradoxically, on the date of the disappearance of Imam Musa Al-Sadr and his two companions in Libya in 1978, I was only two years old as I was born in 1976.

Who do you think is responsible for the disappearance of Musa Al-Sadr and who is the part that should be interrogated about his disappearance?

If they want to reveal the truth of the disappearance of Imam Musa Al-Sadr, why do not they ask the officials of that era, such as Abdessalam Jalloud who was in charge for the Lebanese file in 1978? I believe that the Lebanese people do not want to resolve this case.

Are you affected in this case and what does the international law stipulate in your situation?

I have been imprisoned in Lebanon arbitrarily and for political reasons. I do not have a case. Fatima Massoud lured me. I was then kidnapped and tortured by Hassan Yaaqoub and Ali Yaaqoub from Syria to Lebanon. I am a political refugee, and thus they violated the sovereignty of the Syrian state. Also, all these actions deficiently contravene the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Do your wife and children visit you, and what are their conditions in Syria?

No, they have not been able to visit me yet, and I am concerned about them because they are not safe due to the unstable situation in Syria. There is no one who could provide their needs, and they need their father.

What is your current health condition?

I am in a bad health condition, and I suffer from some illnesses: chest pain, difficulty in breathing, pain in the lower back, friction in the knees and joints and skin problems because I have not been exposed to the sunlight. I also have a fracture in my nose and injury in my head because I have been hit during my kidnapping from Syria to Lebanon. I also suffer from pain in my left leg, and I cannot walk well. I want to point out an important point here. I am asking the United Nations to send a medical team to Lebanon to visit me in my prison and file a report on my health condition.

What are the prison conditions?

Prison conditions are inappropriate. I cannot communicate with any media outlet or press. Also, whoever visits me is prevented from entering Lebanon in the next visit.

Do you intend to practice politics when you are released?

Every context has a different text. I cannot judge or take any decision for the moment. I want to mention an important point: I did not assume any security position during my work in Libya. I had only worked as a consultant in maritime transport.

We look forward to a greater role of Russia, as a powerful country in  humanitarian issues, and I am thankful for the efforts made to release me from my kidnappers.