Hannibal Gaddafi's health worsens in Lebanon after a decade in detention

Hannibal Gaddafi, son of slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has resumed his hunger strike in Lebanon, protesting his continued detention without trial for over a decade

His lawyer has blamed Lebanese authorities for the sharp decline in his health, saying Gaddafi has been transferred to hospital three times in just one month.

"The Lebanese government is fully responsible for my client’s deteriorating health," the lawyer told Al Hadath TV. "He has been arbitrarily detained for more than 10 years, without being charged or tried, for a crime he did not commit."

He added that the UN Human Rights Commission plans to question Lebanon over the legality of Gaddafi’s detention.

Hannibal began his hunger strike again after Lebanese judicial authorities ignored a request from Libya's justice ministry for his release, according to local media reports.

The ministry has reportedly expressed readiness to provide full information related to the 1978 disappearance of Lebanese Shia cleric Imam Musa al-Sadr, the case at the centre of Gaddafi's detention.

Hannibal was kidnapped in Syria in 2015, where he had political asylum, and handed over to Lebanese authorities, who had accused him of withholding information about Sadr and his two companions, who disappeared in Libya during an official visit.

At the time, Hannibal was just a toddler. He has never been formally charged.

The case remains highly sensitive in Lebanon, particularly among the Shia community. While Sadr's family continues to believe he may be alive, most in Lebanon presume he is dead. He would now be in his late nineties.

A Libyan delegation visited Beirut in January 2023 to revive a dormant 2014 judicial cooperation agreement related to the case, but no progress has been made since.

In a statement on Wednesday, Hannibal's family said Lebanon bears responsibility for his safety and wellbeing.

"Attempts are being made to exploit this humanitarian case for purely political purposes and temporary interests," the statement said, calling the situation "regrettable".

There is growing speculation in Lebanon that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who leads the Amal Movement founded by Sadr, may be obstructing Gaddafi's release.

Last year, leaked photographs of Hannibal in a tiny underground cell sparked concern among rights groups and relatives. Human Rights Watch has also called for his release, noting he held no authority in Libya and was only two years old when Sadr vanished.