Graphic shows Libya situation report and details of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi.
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POLITICS

Gaddafi’s son hints at presidential run

By Duncan Mil

August 10, 2021 - Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libya’s slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi wants to restore unity after a decade of chaos and does not exclude standing for the presidency.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was born in Tripoli on June 25, 1972, the second son of Muammar Gaddafi, former leader of Libya, for 42 years.

Saif al-Islam gained an MBA in Vienna, Austria, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics in the UK in 2000.

Following the NATO-backed uprising to overthrow the Gaddafi regime in February 2011, Saif al-Islam joined his father’s brutal crackdown. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Saif al-Islam, his father and uncle, for crimes against humanity in suppressing the revolt.

On October 20, 2011, Muammar Gaddafi was captured and summarily executed during the Battle of Sirte. Days later, an opposition militia, Abu Bakr al-Sideeq, captured Saif al-Islam and held him hostage in Zintan, in western Libya until 2017.

The 2014-15 trial in absentia of Saif al-Islam ended with a death sentence from a Tripoli court. However, a controversial amnesty law by the Supreme Court quashed the sentence.

In October 2020, the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord and opposition forces led by General Khalifa Haftar signed an UN-brokered ceasefire, paving the way for presidential elections in December 2021.

On July 30, the New York Times published an interview with Saif in which he hinted he could run for president.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 10/08/2021; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Getty Images
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