Gaddafi`s son Saif al-Islam releases from prison by rebels in western Libya

YemenExtra

A son of the late dictator Muammar Gaddafi who has been in custody since November 2011, has been released from prison by rebels in western Libya.

Abu Bakr al-Sadiq Brigade, a militia of former rebels that controls the town of Zintan in western Libya, said Saif al-Islam was freed on Friday evening, “the 14th day of the month of Ramadan”, under an amnesty law promulgated by the parliament based in the east.

The North African country has rival administrations, with the authorities in the east not recognising the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in the capital.

Political rivalry and fighting between militias has hampered Libya’s efforts to recover from the chaos that followed the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed Seif al-Islam’s father.

Rival authorities and militias have been vying for control of the oil-rich country ever since.

“We have decided to liberate Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi. He is now free and has left the city of Zintan,” the statement on Facebook said.