Libya: Saadi Gaddafi set free from prison

Saadi Gaddafi, son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has been freed from prison upon decision of the country’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office and the approval of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, reports say.

Saadi has reportedly flew to Turkey. The 48-year-old man was arrested following his extradition in 2014 from Niger where he fled to in 2011 during the NATO-backed uprising that put an end to his father’s rule.

A former professional footballer in Italy, Saadi had been held in a Tripoli prison, accused of crimes committed against protesters and of the 2005 killing of Libyan football coach Bashir al-Rayani, Daily Sabah notes.

In April 2018, the court of appeal acquitted him of Rayani’s murder.

Dbeibeh on Twitter, backed the decision arguing that the country cannot proceed without reconciliation and establishing a state without providing justice, applying the law, respecting the principle of separation of powers and complying with judicial procedures and decisions.