Two rival governments were set up, one in Tripoli and an internationally recognized parliament in the eastern city of Tobruk.
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Lawyers for Seif al-Islam, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity, have said he was released under an amnesty announced previous year by the rival Libyan administration based in the east of the country.
The second son of former Libyan President, Muammar Gaddafi has been released from prison and his death sentence quashed by the country’s United Nations backed government in Tripoli.
This does not mean that Saif al-Islam is not still suspected of having committed grave human rights violations – he is still wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.
A military source has debunked media reports alleging the release of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, from prison. Khan confirmed that Islam was “well, safe and in Libya”.
Saif al-Islam, who was regarded as Gaddafi’s possible successor, has been kept in detention since 2011 by a militia in Zintan, north western Libya, that captured him.
The toppling of Qaddafi created a power vacuum in Libya that was exploited by multiple militias and armed groups, including, of late, the Islamic State militant group (ISIS).
As the Tripoli trial is widely considered invalid, it is uncertain whether claiming double jeopardy will keep Saif al-Islam from facing trial on an global stage for crimes against humanity. The verdict had drawn condemnation overseas, with Human Rights Watch saying the trial was riddled with legal flaws and carried out amid widespread lawlessness undermining the credibility of the judiciary.
Speaking to the UK’s Guardian newspaper, Gaddafi’s lawyer said, Karim Khan QC said, “There was a trial, there was a conviction, he was sentenced to death”.
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Eight others were also condemned to death, including the Libya’s former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senoussi, who as also Gaddafi’s brother-in-law. While Libyan Dawn controls the capital, numerous nation’s various factions do not recognize it as a legitimate government. “I’m going to be filing an application that the case is inadmissible at the ICC under article 20 of the statute concerning double jeopardy”.
