The family of prominent Lebanese Shia cleric Imam Mussa al-Sadr, who disappeared in Libya over four decades ago, has turned to Moscow for assistance. They hope to pressure Libyan authorities to reveal his fate.
The request was made during a meeting with Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian President’s Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister. The meeting took place on Thursday, the final day of their visit to Moscow, according to Lebanese media reports on Friday.
The Sadr family asked Russia to press Libya to implement a 2014 judicial memorandum and disclose the findings of the investigation into Imam Musa Sadr’s disappearance. Sadr, who founded the Amal Movement, vanished in 1978 along with two companions.
During the meeting, the family urged Bogdanov to use Russia’s influence to encourage Libyan cooperation in this high-profile case. Judge Hassan Chami, the secretary of the official committee following Sadr’s case, said the visit to Russia was at the invitation of the Russian Foreign Ministry. He emphasized the need for Russia, as a major power, to exert pressure on Libya to fulfil their commitments made in the 2014 memorandum.
Chami described the family’s long-standing struggles with Libyan authorities since 1978 and highlighted unfulfilled promises from Libya. He also mentioned receiving new assurances from Libyan officials in 2023. The family requested access to Libyan investigation files and all relevant information that could lead to discovering Sadr’s whereabouts.
A Libyan delegation is expected to visit Beirut to discuss the case with Lebanese officials. Imam Musa Sadr, an influential Shia cleric of Iranian origin and the founder of the Amal Movement, disappeared on 31 August 1978, during an official visit to Tripoli. Lebanon holds former Libyan officials responsible for his disappearance.
Despite being only two years old at the time, Hannibal Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, is detained in Lebanon, accused of withholding information about Sadr’s case. Recently, Hannibal urged the Lebanese judiciary to act on statements made by former Lebanese minister Wiam Wahhab, who claimed to have information about Sadr’s disappearance but refused to disclose it to avoid complications.
