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Hannibal Gaddafi

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Hannibal Muammar Gaddafi
Personal details
Born1976 (age 47–48)
Tripoli, Libyan Arab Republic
Spouse
Aline Skaf
​
(m. 2003)​
[1]
Children3 (+1 deceased) [1]
Parent(s)Muammar Gaddafi (father)
Safia Farkash (mother)
Alma materArab Academy for Science and Technology and Maritime Transport
Copenhagen Business School

Hannibal Muammar Gaddafi (هانيبال معمر القذافي; born 1976)[2] is the fifth son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his second wife, Safia Farkash.

Biography

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Gaddafi was born in Tripoli in 1976.[3] He started his maritime career by joining the Marine Academy of Maritime Studies, Libya in 1993 as a deck cadet. He graduated in 1999, as a watch-keeping officer with a BSc degree in marine navigation.

Soon after he started his maritime career on board various vessels of General National Maritime Transport Company (GNMTC) of Libya on various ranks. He obtained successfully the combined chief officer and Master Mariner qualification from the Arab Maritime Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in Alexandria in 2003.[citation needed]

Gaddafi was the first consultant to the Management Committee of the GNMTC.[4] He was appointed to this position in 2007, upon earning his MBA degree in Shipping Economics and Logistics from Copenhagen Business School.[5]

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In 2008, Swiss authorities arrested Gaddafi and his wife, Aline Skaf, on charges of "bodily harm, threatening behavior and coercion,"[6] after an incident involving two staffers at the Gaddafis' hotel in Geneva. The charges were later dropped, but relations between Libya and Switzerland soured. In 2009, two Swiss citizens, Max Goeldi and Rachid Hamdani, were detained in Libya; the Swiss government asserted that the detention was retaliation against them for Gaddafi's arrest.[7]

Also in 2008, Gaddafi lost a lawsuit he brought in Denmark against the Danish newspaper, Ekstra Bladet. The newspaper reported that in 2005, Gaddafi, then a student in Copenhagen, had directed the abduction and beating of a Libyan national at the home of the Libyan consul in Gentofte. Gaddafi failed to appear in court to present his side of the case, and the court ruled that the existing evidence supported Ekstra Bladet's version of events.[8][9]

In 2009, police were called to Claridge's Hotel in London in response to reports of a woman screaming. When they arrived, the suite was locked, and three bodyguards were arrested for obstructing entry. Gaddafi's wife was found in the room bleeding heavily and was taken by ambulance to hospital where she was treated for facial injuries.[10]

Flight from Libya

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On 29 August after the rebels entered Tripoli, Gaddafi and his wife fled from Libya to Algeria together with other members of the Gaddafi family.[11]

In October 2012 they left a hideaway in Algeria to go to Oman, where they were granted political asylum.[12] He later moved to Syria with his wife and children.[13]

Shweyga Mullah, an Ethiopian nanny who cared for the couple's young daughter and son, was found abandoned by the rebels in a room at one of the family's luxury seaside villas in western Tripoli. She claimed that Aline Skaf took her to a bathroom, tied her up, taped her mouth and started pouring boiling water on her head after she lost her temper when Mullah refused to beat her daughter who was crying. Then Mullah was denied sleep, food and water for three days. Another member of staff, who did not want to give his name, verified Mullah's story and said that he also had been regularly beaten and slashed with knives.[14]

Captivity in Lebanon

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On 11 December 2015, Hannibal was kidnapped and held in Lebanon by an armed group demanding information about disappearance of Shiite Imam Musa al-Sadr, Sheikh Muhammad Yaacoub, and journalist Abbas Badreddine, but later was released in the city of Zahlé. Gaddafi is still in captivity in Beirut with no information provided by the Lebanese government regarding future court hearings or a timeframe regarding his release.[15]

An arrest warrant was issued against Hannibal by the Lebanese government over the disappearance of al-Sadr, and he was arrested. A request by the Syrian government to return Gaddafi on the grounds that he was a political refugee was denied by the Lebanese government as he is a wanted man in Lebanon for withholding information regarding the disappearance of al-Sadr.[16][17] In August 2016, al-Sadr's family filed a lawsuit against Gaddafi over his role in the disappearance of the Imam despite the fact that Sadr's disappearance in 1978 occurred when Hannibal was two years old.[18]

In 2019, Russia, which developed close ties with Hannibal's older brother Saif al-Islam, allegedly pushed for Hannibal's release and offered him asylum in Moscow.[19][20]

Hannibal cited the fact that he was just three years old at the time of the event as proof of his innocence. He also stated that his father Muammar did not meet Sadr in August 1978 as he was in Sirte. Instead, Sadr and his entourage were hosted by Libyan Prime Minister Abdessalam Jalloud in Tripoli.[13] Hannibal claimed that Jalloud, and Ahmed Gaddaf al-Dam were the only living people with knowledge about Sadr's disappearance.[21]

His older brother Saif al-Islam has been negotiating his release behind the scenes through intermediaries, including Lebanese businessman Mohammed Jamil Derbah (a former associate of the late British gangster John Palmer), French-Algerian lobbyist Tayeb Benabderrahmane, and French-Iraqi businessman Souha al-Bedri. Several foreign government, including Turkey, have also lobbied for Hannibal's release, but their efforts are blocked at the highest level by the Shia-dominated Amal Movement and Hezbollah.[13] Several associates of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, including paparazzi Michèle Marchand and businessman Noël Dubus, were allegedly involved in a plot to free Hannibal in exchange for Hannibal's testimony absolving Sarkozy in the alleged Libyan financing in the 2007 French presidential election scandal.[22][23][24]

BBC reported in June 2023 that Hannibal has gone on hunger strike to protest against his prolonged detention in Lebanon.[25][26][27][28] According to one of his lawyers, Hannibal has “spasms in his muscles, hands and legs, dizziness and headaches, and prior medical problems in his spine and hips deteriorated" because of his hunger strike.[29] On 22 June 2023, Hannibal was hospitalized in Lebanon after a two-week hunger strike.[30] On 2 July 2023, Hannibal was reportedly hospitalized again after suffering a sharp drop in his blood sugar level.[31][21]

In January 2024, Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Lebanon to release Hannibal Gaddafi, saying he had been held on "spurious charges" for eight years.[32]

Personal life

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Gaddafi married, in 2003, Aline Skaf, a Lebanese Christian former lingerie model, with whom he has three children. Another child, Carthage Hannibal (born 2 August 2008), was killed in the bombing raid of the family compound on 30 April 2011.[1][33]

While Hannibal Gaddafi is being detained in Lebanon, his wife Aline lives in Damascus with their children. In January 2021, she was suspected of ramming her car into police and pedestrians in a road rage attack in Damascus.[34][35]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Like Father Like Sons? Gaddafi's Fascinating Family". Al Bawaba. 28 February 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  2. ^ "Gaddafi's son reveals details about his abduction from Syria – Middle East Monitor".
  3. ^ "Gaddafi's son reveals details about his abduction from Syria". Middle East Monitor. 5 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  4. ^ "General National Maritime Transport Company". Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  5. ^ "Copenhagen Business School 2007". Archived from the original on 21 July 2012.
  6. ^ "Gaddafi son arrested for assault". BBC World News. 17 July 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  7. ^ Thomasson, Emma (6 March 2011). "Swiss want probe into Libya detention of citizens". Reuters. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  8. ^ Bluhme, Kate (25 June 2008). "Gadaffi-søn tabte sag til Ekstra Bladet" [Gadaffi son lost the case for Ekstra Bladet]. Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  9. ^ "Gadaffi Junior tabte til Ekstra Bladet" [Gadaffi Junior lost to Ekstra Bladet]. Business Times (in Danish). 25 June 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2011. Hannibal Gadaffi, mødte aldrig op i landsretten for at tale sin sag, og derfor har dommerne støttet sig til forklaringer fra Ekstra Bladet og fra politiets rapporter i den opsigtvækkende affære. I januar 2005 fik Københavns Politi en anmeldelse om, at en libysk borger var blevet bortført fra en lejlighed på Nordre Fasanvej og ført til den libyske konsuls hjem i Gentofte. Manden havde ringet på sin mobil og fortalt, at han var bundet i kælderen og havde fået "smadret" arme og ben. Da politiet efterforskede sagen nærmere, gik det op for dem, at det tilsyneladende var Hannibal Gadaffi, der nu studerede på handelshøjskolen i København, som stod bag afstraffelsen." In English: "Hannibal Gaddafi never appeared in court to present his case and therefore the court has relied on explanations from Ekstra Bladet and police reports in the current case. In January 2005 Copenhagen Police received a report that a Libyan citizen was abducted from his apartment at Nordre Fasanvej and taken to the Libyan consul's home in Gentofte. The man had called by his mobile phone and told that he was tied in the cellar and had got his arms and legs "damaged". When the police investigated the case more closely the realized that apparently it was Hannibal Gadaffi, who then studied at the Copenhagen School of Business, that directed the punishment.
  10. ^ Laing, Aislinn; Irvine, Chris (31 December 2009). "Col Gadaffi's son in hotel room row which sees wife injured and bodyguards arrested". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  11. ^ "Aid Sought for Alleged Gadhafi Torture Victim". Voice of America. 2 September 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  12. ^ "Muammar Gaddafi's Daughter Thrown Out of Algeria After Starting Fires in Safe House". Time. 3 April 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  13. ^ a b c "Libya-Lebanon: Hannibal Gaddafi ends his silence". The Africa Report.com. 2022-09-02. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  14. ^ "Smiling nanny recovering from Gadhafi family's burns". CNN. 24 November 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  15. ^ "Gaddafi's son Hannibal freed after kidnap in Lebanon". BBC News. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  16. ^ "Hannibal Gaddafi: Lebanon officials issue arrest warrant for son of former Libyan dictator". IBTimes. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  17. ^ "Lebanon rejects Syria request to hand over Gaddafi son". The Times of Israel. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  18. ^ "Imam Musa Sadr's Family Files Lawsuit against Gaddafi Son". Ahlul Bayt News Agency. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  19. ^ "Moscow reportedly seeking to take Gaddafi's son from Lebanese jail". Middle East Eye édition française (in French). Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  20. ^ "Opinion: This is what happened to the Gaddafi family after the collapse of the Libyan dictatorship". The Independent. 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  21. ^ a b "Concerns grow over health of late Libyan leader's hunger-striker son". Arab News. 2023-07-03. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  22. ^ Rouget, Fabrice Arfi, Karl Laske and Antton (2021-11-09). "Revealed: the extraordinary plan to free one of Gaddafi's sons in bid to help Sarkozy". Mediapart. Retrieved 2023-02-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ Rouget, Fabrice Arfi, Karl Laske and Antton (2022-12-10). "Libyan diplomat faces Paris probe over operation to 'save Sarko' over election funding affair". Mediapart. Retrieved 2023-02-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ "Noël Dubus : Reports, news and investigations". Mediapart. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  25. ^ "Africa Live this week: 5-11 June 2023". BBC News. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  26. ^ "Hannibal Gaddafi Suffers Health, Psychological Setback, Refuses to See Doctors". Asharq AL-awsat.
  27. ^ As rival states jostle for power in Libya, the fate of one Gaddafi son hangs delicately in the balance, Kim Sengupta, The Independent, January 31, 2019
  28. ^ "Libyans Demand Lebanon Release Hannibal Gaddafi". Asharq al-Awsat. August 14, 2020.
  29. ^ Alberti, Mia. "Why is Hannibal Gaddafi on hunger strike in a Lebanese prison?". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  30. ^ "Son of Libya's Gaddafi in Lebanon hospital after going on hunger strike". Reuters. 2023-06-22. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  31. ^ "Hannibal Gaddafi moved to hospital in 'critical condition' in Lebanon, Al-Hadath TV reports". Reuters. 2023-07-02. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  32. ^ "Lebanon: Gaddafi Son Wrongfully Held for 8 Years | Human Rights Watch". 16 January 2024.
  33. ^ Kim Sengupta (16 September 2011). "Pythons, parties and offshore accounts: Life among Libya's elite". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  34. ^ "Gaddafi's daughter-in-law knocks down Syrian policemen and pedestrians". 27 January 2021.
  35. ^ "Gaddafi's Daughter-in-Law Claims Damascus Incident was an Attempted Kidnap". Asharq AL-awsat.
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