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Agence France-Presse

An armed group in Libya said on Facebook Saturday it has freed Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of dead dictator Muammar Gaddafi who has been in custody since November 2011.
The 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 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) based 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 Saif al-Islam’s father.

Rival authorities and militias have been vying for control of the oil-rich country ever since.
“He is now free and has left the city of Zintan,” the statement on Facebook said.
Zintan is controlled by armed groups opposed to the GNA.
The son of the former dictator is the subject of an arrest warrant for crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the eight months of the uprising in 2011.
Libya’s authorities and the International Criminal Court (ICC) are in dispute over who has the right to judge him.
He was sentenced to death in July 2015 by a court in Tripoli for his role in the murderous repression of the 2011 revolt.
Saif al-Islam, 44, was born on June 25, 1972.
His name means sword of Islam, and he is the second of Gaddafi’s eight children, the eldest son of his second wife Safiya.

The fluent English speaker often appeared in the West as the public face of his father’s regime.
He held no official post but had influence as a loyal emissary of the regime and architect of reform.
In July 2016, Saif al-Islam’s lawyers claimed that their client had been released under an amnesty issued by the unrecognised authorities in the east of the country.
But the GNA said the amnesty, enacted in April that year, cannot apply to persons accused of crimes against humanity.
In all, three of Gaddafi’s seven sons died during the revolution.

‘Feet or buttocks?’ Shocking video shows Gaddafi’s son being tortured in Libyan prison
One son who survived, Saadi, is still on trial in Libya for his alleged involvement in the crackdown and killing of a former football coach.
The deposed dictator’s widow Safiya and three more of their children found refuge in Algeria in the wake of the revolution and then later in Oman.
But the shockwaves created by the ouster and grizzly killing of Muammar Gaddadi by rebels in his home town of Sirte continue to ripple across the troubled country.
Late last month, Tripoli was rocked by fierce clashes between forces loyal to the unity government and rival militias, with more than 50 members of the pro-GNA forces reported killed.
Relying on militia support and pitted against the rival administration in the east, the GNA has struggled to assert its authority.


Libyan group says it has freed Gaddafi’s son six years after capture

Saif al-Islam, the son of slain Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi on trial in 2014. File photo: AFP

FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2011, file photo, Seif al-Islam is seen after his capture in the custody of revolutionary fighters in Zintan, a town south of the capital Tripoli, Libya. A statement by his captors, the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion, said Seif al-Islam was released on Friday, June 9, 2017, but gave no details on his whereabouts. They declined to disclose his whereabouts, citing concerns over his safety. (AP Photo/Ammar El-Darwish, File)

epa06021855 (FILE) A file photograph shows Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, at a press conference in Tripoli, Libya, 23 March 2010 (reissued on 10 June 2017). According to media reports on 10 June 2017, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been released from prison under an amnesty agreement made with the militia in western Libya. EPA/SABRI ELMHEDWI

RNPS IMAGES OF THE YEAR 2011 - Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is seen in this still image taken from video footage October 20, 2011. Gaddafi was killed on Thursday as Libya's new leaders declared they had overrun the last bastion of his long rule, sparking wild celebrations that eight months of war may finally be over. REUTERS/Esam Al-Fetori (LIBYA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST OBITUARY) TEMPLATE OUT

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Gaddafi’s son was captured by fighters late in 2011, the year when a popular uprising toppled dictator father after more than 40 years in power. He was later killed.


Libyan group says it has freed Gaddafi’s son six years after capture

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Gaddafi’s son was captured by fighters late in 2011, the year when a popular uprising toppled dictator father after more than 40 years in power. He was later killed.

Gaddafi’s son was captured by fighters late in 2011, the year when a popular uprising toppled dictator father after more than 40 years in power. He was later killed.