BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been freed by an armed group in western Libya where he had been held since shortly after the 2011 revolt against his late father, Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, one of his lawyers and the brigade involved said.

He was released in the town of Zintan under an amnesty law passed by a parliament based in eastern Libya, lawyer Khaled al-Zaidi said on Sunday, adding that Saif was headed to another Libyan city that he could not name for security reasons.

Saif, 44, is the most prominent of the late leader’s children, and was touted by some as a reformist successor before the uprising six years ago in which Muammar Gaddafi was toppled and killed.

It is unclear what, if any, role the younger Gaddafi could play in Libya, where a complex array of armed groups and competing governments are vying for control.

But Gaddafi loyalists outside Libya as well as some in the east of the country, where military commander Khalifa Haftar has been building power, have been pressing for Saif’s release amid a push from former regime figures to reassert influence.

Saif’s lawyer Zaidi said Saif could play an important part in national reconciliation efforts because he was popular in Libya: “He will play a pivotal and detailed role in this stage.”

Zaidi told Reuters in an interview in Cairo that Saif would make a statement at some point and would not be turning himself in to the International Criminal Court, which is seeking his arrest.

Earlier reports that Saif had been freed from Zintan turned out to be false and there have long been conflicting rumors about his status. No physical evidence of his whereabouts has been offered. Saif was last seen by an independent international observer in June 2014.

FILE PHOTO: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, attends a hearing behind bars in a courtroom in Zintan May 25, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Zintan’s Abubaker Sadiq brigade, which was responsible for guarding Saif, said it had chosen to release him following requests from the justice ministry of a government based in eastern Libya that is a rival to the U.N.-backed one in the capital, Tripoli.

“We decided to release Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi, who is free, and we confirm that he left Zintan on the date of his release on the 14th of Ramadan (Friday),” the brigade said.

SENTENCED TO DEATH

A Tripoli court sentenced Saif to death in absentia in 2015 for war crimes, including killing protesters during the revolution. A statement posted by the attorney general’s office in Tripoli on Sunday said he was still wanted under that conviction and that an investigation had been launched into his reported release.

Libya slid into turmoil after Muammar Gaddafi’s overthrow, with rival governments and armed alliances competing for power. A U.N.-backed government in Tripoli has struggled to impose its authority and has been rejected by factions in the east.

Zintan, which gained military importance through its role in the 2011 uprising and has been at odds with authorities in Tripoli, had refused to hand Saif over. He is also sought by the International Criminal Court, which says his trial in Libya did not meet international standards.

It was unclear what terms Saif’s captors might have set for his release, and why they would have freed a prisoner seen as a major bargaining chip.

Zintan, about 145 km (90 miles) southwest of Tripoli, has its own divisions, but has been broadly aligned with the government and armed forces based in eastern Libya.

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However, a statement from Zintan’s military and municipal councils strongly condemned the Abubaker Sadiq brigade’s decision to release Saif.

It said the move had “nothing to do with legal procedures, but is collusion and betrayal of the blood of the martyrs and the military institution that they claim to belong to”.

The defense and security committee of the eastern parliament criticized the move as well, showing that opinion among officials in the east is also split.</s>Benghazi: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been freed by an armed group in western Libya where he was being held following the 2011 revolt against his late father, former leader Muammar Gaddafi, one of his lawyers and the brigade involved said.

He was released in the town of Zintan under an amnesty law passed by a parliament based in eastern Libya, lawyer Khaled al-Zaidi said on Sunday, adding that Saif was headed to another city which could not be named for security reasons.

Saif, 44, is the most prominent of the late leader`s children, and was touted by some as a possible successor before the uprising six years ago in which Gaddafi was toppled and killed.

It is unclear what role the younger Gaddafi could play in Libya, where a complex array of armed groups and competing governments are vying for control.

But some in eastern Libya, where military commander Khalifa Haftar has been building power, have been pressing for Saif`s release amid a push from former regime figures to reassert influence.

Earlier reports that Saif had been freed from Zintan turned out to be false and there have been conflicting reports about his status.

Zintan`s Abubaker Sadiq brigade, which was responsible for guarding Saif, said it had decided to release him following requests from the ministry of justice of a government based in eastern Libya.

"We decided to release Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi, who is free, and we confirm that he left Zintan on the date of his release on the 14th of Ramadan (Friday)," the brigade said.

A Tripoli court sentenced Saif to death in 2015 for war crimes, including killing protesters during the revolution.

Libya slid into turmoil after his father`s overthrow, with rival governments and armed alliances competing for power. A U.N.-backed government now in Tripoli has struggled to impose its authority and has been rejected by powerful factions in the east.

Zintan, which grew powerful through its role in the 2011 uprising and has been at odds with authorities in Tripoli, had refused to hand Saif over. He is also sought by the International Criminal Court, which says his trial in Libya did not meet international standards.

It was unknown what terms Saif`s captors might have set for his release, and why they would have freed a prisoner seen as a major bargaining chip.

Zintan, about 145 km (90 miles) southwest of Tripoli, has its own divisions, but it has been broadly aligned with the government and armed forces based in eastern Libya.

A statement from Zintan`s military and municipal councils strongly condemned the decision to release Saif.

It said the move had "nothing to do with the legal procedures, but is collusion and betrayal of the blood of the martyrs and the military institution that they claim to belong to".</s>Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been released from prison, according to fighters who control the facility.

A statement from the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion, a militia which controls Zintan, a mountainous region southwest of the capital Tripoli, said Saif al-Islam was released late on Saturday.

The most prominent of Gaddafi’s sons, Saif al-Islam, 44, was captured in Zintan in November 2011 as he was fleeing to neighbouring Niger after opposition fighters seized Tripoli.

Saif al-Islam, the most prominent of Gaddafi’s eight children, was sentenced to death in July 2015 by a court in Tripoli in a mass trial of former Gaddafi government officials.

He is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Since the Gaddafi’s four-decade rule ended in 2011, Libya has struggled to establish basic institutions and rule of law, with militias and former fighters challenging the authority of the weak central government.</s>Late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi has been released after six years in detention by a militia group in the city of Zintan.

In a statement to the media, the militia group Abu Bakr al-Siddiq on Saturday night said that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, had been released on Friday and that he immediately left Zintan where he was captured in November 2011, a month after his father was killed in the city of Sirte, reports Efe news.

“We decided to release Saif al-Islam Gaddafi. He is now completely free. We confirm that he abandoned Zintan at the time of his release,” the group said.

Hours later, the online daily Libyan Express said Saif, who faces an arrest order issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), was taken to the eastern city of al-Bayda, reports Efe news.

“Saif is now among his uncles and relatives in al-Bayda and will soon deliver a speech to the Libyan people,” the daily said.

The ICC accuses Saif of crimes against humanity, saying he ordered the killing and torture of Libyans during the 2011 rebel uprising that overthrew his father.

On the basis of those accusations, a court in Tripoli in 2015 convicted Saif in absentia and sentenced him to death. The trial, however, has been criticised for alleged irregularities.

His captors, however, refused to turn him over to the different authorities in the Libyan capital or to the international tribunal.

Since last July, he had been under a regime of semi-liberty — under the control of the militias in Zintan but free to receive visitors.

Libya remains politically divided after six years of conflicts with two competing parliaments and governments, one based in Tripoli and the other in the eastern port city of Tobruk.

With mediation efforts of the international community, political rivals signed a UN-sponsored peace agreement in December 2015 which led to the establishment of the Government of National Accord (GNA) headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and based in Tripoli.

However, the Tobruk-based parliament, which is recognized by the international community, has refused to endorse the government.</s>Slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son has been released following nearly six-years of detention.

The most prominent son of slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has been released from prison according to a statement released by the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion in Libya's Zintan. The statement did not disclose his current location due to fears for his safety.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, 44, was released on Saturday after he was captured and imprisoned by fighters from Zintan while attempting to flee the country to neighbouring Niger back in 2011 when opposition fighters seized Tripoli.

His release comes as part of a general pardon issued by the government in the city of Tobruk backed by renegade General Khalifa Haftar, one of two rival administrations based in Libya.

The second of Muammar Gaddafi's nine children, Saif al-Islam had been seen by many before the 2011 uprising as his father's heir apparent and the second-most powerful man in Libya.

Saif al-Islam remained prominent throughout the violence that gripped Libya in the wake of the Arab Spring. There were numerous allegations against him of torture and extreme violence against opponents of his father's rule. By February 2011, he was on a United Nations sanctions list and was banned from travelling.

In June 2011, he announced that his father was willing to hold elections and to step down if he did not win them. However, NATO rejected the offer and the bombardment of Libya continued.

By the end of June 2011, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him, but he remained at large until after the death of his father Muammar and his brother Mutassim in Sirte, on October 20, 2011.

Following long negotiations with the ICC, which had been calling for his extradition, Libyan officials were granted authority to try Saif al-Islam in Libya for war crimes committed during the 2011 uprising.

At the time, Saif al-Islam's defence lawyers feared that a trial in Libya would not be motivated by justice, but would be motivated by a desire for revenge. The UN had estimated that up to 15,000 people were killed in the conflict, while Libya's National Transitional Council placed the figure as high as 30,000.

In 2014, Saif al-Islam appeared via video link in the Tripoli courtroom where his trial was held, as he was incarcerated in Zintan at the time. In July 2015, the Tripoli court sentenced him to death in absentia.

READ MORE: Libya - The story of conflict explained

A Western-educated and well-spoken man, Saif al-Islam presented a progressive face to the oppressive Libyan regime and was extremely visible and active in the drive to repair Libya's relations with the West between the year 2000 and the start of the 2011 uprising.

He received a PhD from the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2008. His dissertation dealt with the role of civil society in reforming global governance and was prominent in his calls for political reform.

LSE was later condemned for having sought a relationship with the Libyan regime, namely for accepting Saif al-Islam as a student, who had signed an agreement for a $2.4m gift from the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation on the day of his doctorate ceremony.

As an internationally prominent negotiator and influencer, Saif al-Islam could claim a number of victories and prominent roles. He played a pivotal role in the nuclear negotiations with Western powers including the United States and the UK.

Also in negotiating compensation for families of victims of the Lockerbie bombing, the Berlin nightclub attack, and the UTA Flight 772, which detonated over the Sahara desert.

He also mediated the release of six medics - five of whom were Bulgarian - who were accused of infecting children with HIV in Libya in the late 1990s. The medics were imprisoned for eight years in 1999 and, upon their release, announced that they had been tortured while in detention.

He had a number of other proposals including "Isratine", a proposal for a permanent resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through a secular one-state solution. He also hosted peace talks between the Philippines government and leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which resulted in a peace agreement that was signed in 2001.

Saif al-Islam is still wanted by the ICC on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Ajmi al-Atiri, the commander of the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion, was set to release a video statement explaining the details of the release.</s>BENGHAZI, Libya, June 11 (Reuters) - Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been freed by an armed group holding him in the western town of Zintan where he was taken after the 2011 revolt against his father, according to one of his lawyers and a statement from the brigade.

The lawyer and the brigade said he had been released under an amnesty law passed by a parliament based in eastern Libya. The lawyer, Khaled al-Zaidi, said Saif al-Islam was headed to another Libyan city, but he could not say where for security reasons.

Previous reports that Saif al-Islam had been released from Zintan turned out to be false and there have been conflicting reports about his status since his capture.

Saif al-Islam, 44, is the most prominent of the late long-time Libyan leader's children, and was touted by some as a possible successor before the uprising six years ago in which Gaddafi was toppled and killed.

Zintan's Abubaker Sadiq brigade, which was responsible for guarding Saif al-Islam, said it had decided to release him following requests from the ministry of justice of a government based in eastern Libya.

"We decided to release Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi, who is free, and we confirm that he left Zintan on the date of his release on the 14th of Ramadan (Friday)," the brigade said.

A Tripoli court sentenced him to death in 2015 for war crimes, including killing protesters during the revolution.

Libya slid into turmoil after Gaddafi's overthrow, with rival armed factions and governments competing for power. A U.N.-backed government now in Tripoli has struggled to assert its influence especially over powerful factions in the east.

Zintan, which grew powerful through its role in the 2011 uprising and has been at odds with authorities in Tripoli, had refused to hand Saif al-Islam over. He is also sought by the International Criminal Court, which says the trial in Libya did not meet international standards. (Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli and Ahmed Elumami; Writing by Aidan Lewis; editing by David Clarke and Patrick Markey)</s>Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, second son of the late deposed Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, has been freed from jail under an amnesty law.

His father’s preferred successor, he had been held by a militia in the town of Zintan for the past six years.

The Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion said he had been released on Friday but he has not been seen in public.

It is feared the move could fuel further instability in Libya.

His lawyer, Khaled al-Zaidi, confirmed he had been released.

He declined to say which city Saif al-Islam had travelled to for security reasons. A source has told the BBC he is in the Tobruk area of eastern Libya.

The Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion said it was acting on a request from the “interim government” based in the east of the country.

However, he has been sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Tripoli, in the west of the country, where control is in the hands of the rival, UN-backed Government of National Accord.

Saif al-Islam is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity during his father’s unsuccessful attempts to put down the rebellion against his rule.

The Zintan Military Council – which had previously been involved in his detention – and Zintan’s municipal council have condemned his release by the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion.

The councils said in a statement that freeing Saif al-Islam was “a form of collusion, a betrayal of the blood of the martyrs and stab in the back of the military body to which they [the brigade] claim to belong”.

The 44-year-old Saif al-Islam – who was controversially granted a PhD by the London School of Economics in 2008 – was captured in November 2011 after three months on the run following the end of Muammar Gaddafi’s decades-long rule.

He was previously known for playing a key role in building relations with the West after 2000, and had been considered the reformist face of his father’s regime.

But after the 2011 uprising, he found himself accused of incitement to violence and murdering protesters.

Four years later, he was sentenced to death by firing squad following a trial involving 30 of Gaddafi’s close associates.

Reaction on social media to Saif al-Islam’s release has been mixed.

One Twitter user said: “When the world is upside down, the killer becomes innocent and the victim becomes a terrorist. The blood of the martyrs disappears and Saif al-Islam becomes a free man!”

By contrast, another Twitter user posted a video showing celebrations of Saif al-Islam’s release in the north-western town of Asabea, in which people appeared be carrying the green flags associated with his father’s rule. He was also described as a “lifeline to the Libyan people”.
• June 1972: Born in Tripoli, Libya, second son of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi
• June 2011: International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam for crimes against humanity
• August 2011: Leaves the capital after Tripoli falls to anti-government forces; flees to Bani Walid
• 19 November 2011: Captured by militia as he tries to flee south to Niger. Imprisoned in Zintan
• July 2015: Sentenced to death by a Tripoli court in absentia
• June 2017: Reportedly released after being granted amnesty by one of Libya’s two competing governments BBC News</s>The son of Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi has been released from prison.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been freed under a new amnesty law.

His release was approved by one of Libya's administrations based in the eastern city of Tobruk.

A court in Tripoli had sentenced him to death in 2015 for war crimes and suppression of demonstrations during the 2011 uprising.

The son of Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam is also wanted by the International Criminal Court.

So what will this mean for Libya as it struggles with violence and competing governments?

Fathi Fadhli - Professor at the University of Tripoli and Author.

Ibrahim Fraihat - Conflict Resolution Professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.</s>The military and city council of the Libyan city Zintan (180 km southeast Tripoli) on Sunday objected on the release of Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, who has been freed by the militia detaining him in the city, a statement released by the council said.

The military and city councils of Zintan strongly condemn the statement of the Information Office of Abu-Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion, regarding the illegal release of the detainee Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, which claims that the release was based on the amnesty law,” the statement said.

“This act is collusion and betrayal to the martyrs and a stab to the military establishment that they claim to belong to,” the statement added.

A militia from Zintan called Abu-Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion, which was detaining Gaddafi, announced on Saturday they freed Gaddafi based on an amnesty law issued by the eastern-based parliament in 2015.

Gaddafi was sentenced to death in absentia by the Tripoli appeal court in July 2015 for suppressing the 2011 uprising and killing of protesters.

He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity during the uprising. The international court is demanding the Libyan authorities to extradite him for trial.

The national defense and security committee of the eastern-based parliament on Sunday demanded that all detainees of the former regime must not be released without a court verdict.

Moreover, Tripoli Attorney General in-charge, Ibrahim Masoud Ali, on Sunday said that the release of Gaddafi was illegal, and that the “amnesty he needs to be released required a legal waiver from the families of the victims.

Moreover, the suspect is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.”

Ali said that the office is investigating into those involved in the release of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi.(Xinhua/NA</s>Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, second son of the late deposed Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, is said to have been freed under an amnesty, in a move which could fuel further instability.

His father’s preferred successor, he had been held by a militia in the town of Zintan for the past six years.

The Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion said he had been released on Friday but he has not been shown in public.

A source has told the BBC he is in the Tobruk area of eastern Libya.

His lawyer, Khaled al-Zaidi, also said he had been released but would not say which city Saif al-Islam had travelled to for security reasons.

The Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion said it was acting on a request from the “interim government”.

That government – based in the east of the country – had already offered amnesty to Saif al-Islam.

However, he has been sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Tripoli, the west of the country, where control is in the hands of the rival, UN-backed Government of National Accord.

Previous reports of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi’s release proved to be false.

He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity during his father’s unsuccessful attempts to put down the rebellion.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of late Muammar Gaddafi, is released in Zintan after requests from the eastern Libya-based government. He is sought by the International Criminal Court and was condemned to the death penalty by the Tripoli-based government. His whereabouts are now unknown.