Hannibal Gaddafi has called for his immediate release from Lebanon, claiming he has been held unjustly for almost ten years. He urged authorities to compensate him for what he described as years of arbitrary detention, stressing that those responsible for his suffering must be held accountable.
In an interview with Human Rights Watch, Gaddafi said his detention conditions were extremely harsh. He explained that he has been confined in an underground cell without windows, with only limited ventilation. These circumstances, he argued, have severely damaged his physical and mental health. “I suffer from physical weakness due to poor nutrition, along with chronic back and head pain caused by torture during my abduction near the Syrian border in 2015, before being transferred to Lebanon,” he stated.
He further revealed that his contact with family members was severely restricted during the first years of his imprisonment. Visits were not permitted until 2022. While limited visits are now allowed, Gaddafi said they remain irregular and without guarantee. He also noted that requests to meet his legal team are frequently rejected or delayed for days without explanation.
Addressing the legal aspects of his case, Gaddafi pointed out that he is being held under an arrest warrant issued in December 2015. The charges relate to withholding information about the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr and two companions in Libya in 1978. However, no trial has been conducted, nor has any legal justification for his prolonged detention been provided.
Gaddafi concluded by criticising Lebanon’s prison conditions, saying overcrowding exceeds 300 percent in some facilities, with more than 80 percent of inmates awaiting trial. He called for urgent international intervention to protect his rights and those of other detainees held unlawfully.
