Libyan activist Hossam Al-Gmati announced the release of his brother, Mohamed Al-Gmati, an oil engineer, after nearly a month in secret detention by an undisclosed security agency in Tripoli.
The case, which drew widespread condemnation both locally and internationally, has become a stark example of arbitrary detention and the erosion of legal safeguards in Libya.
According to Al-Gmati, his brother was abducted without any legal warrant or due process. He was held under a false name in a detention facility controlled by Libya’s Internal Security Agency, during which time his whereabouts were concealed and repeatedly denied by officials, including those from the Ministry of Interior.
Al-Gmati revealed that despite multiple inquiries by concerned institutions and public pressure campaigns, authorities failed to acknowledge his brother’s detention.
The breakthrough came after sustained efforts by the Office of the Attorney General, led by Prosecutor General Al-Siddiq Al-Sour. On Thursday, Mohamed was officially transferred to the Public Prosecutor’s office and released unconditionally after a full review of his legal file. No charges were filed against him, and the accusations he had faced were dismissed as politically motivated and baseless.
Al-Gmati said his brother had been accused of a fabricated financial transaction from 2012, a charge he described as absurd and lacking any evidence. He believes the real motive behind the detention was political retaliation for his own outspoken criticism of Libya’s ruling elite and armed factions. He further stated that efforts to bribe or silence him had failed, leading to this coercive act.
During his detention, Mohamed was denied access to legal representation and basic health rights. Al-Gmati emphasized that the treatment his brother received violated Libya’s constitutional protections and international conventions on enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention.
He also confirmed that several individuals allegedly responsible for the abduction have now been placed on travel restriction lists as part of ongoing legal proceedings. Al-Gmati expressed gratitude to the Attorney General’s office for its professionalism, and to international human rights organizations, the United Nations, and the European Union for their support in ensuring his brother’s release and defending the rule of law.
