Libyan authorities have released Saadi Gadhafi, a son of the former leader Moammar Gadhafi, who was ousted and killed during a 2011 uprising, a Libyan official source and a unity government source said on Sunday.
Saadi Gadhafi fled for Niger during the NATO-backed uprising but was extradited to Libya in 2014 and has been imprisoned since then in Tripoli.
He immediately departed on a plane to Istanbul, the official source said.
Libya has suffered chaos, division and violence in the decade since the uprising. The Government of National Unity was installed in March as part of a peace push that was also meant to include elections planned for December.
Gadhafi’s release resulted from negotiations that included senior tribal figures and Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, the official source said. Another source said the negotiations also involved former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha.
In 2018 the Justice Ministry said Saadi Gadhafi had been found not guilty of “murder, deception, threats, enslavement and defamation” of the former football coach and player Bashir Rayani.
Source: Voice of America