Saadi Gadafy abuse video condemned by rights groups

Chris Stephen

A video appearing to show Saadi Gadafy, son of Libya's late dictator Muammar, being abused in jail has been condemned by lawyers and rights groups.

The nine-minute video appears to show Saadi (42) in a green tracksuit, being hooked up to an improvised rack, apparently while in custody at Tripoli’s maximum security al-Hadba prison. Segments show him sitting blindfolded and forced to listen to screams of other detainees being beaten in an adjacent room.

"It raises serious concerns about the methods used to interrogate al-Saadi Gaddafi and other detainees at al-Hadba prison," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director of Human Rights Watch. "The Tripoli authorities need to urgently establish exactly what did occur."

The video’s release, by Arabic network Clear News, has alarmed lawyers worried about the treatment of other detainees at al-Hadba, where former Gadfy-era officials are held.

“This is a shocking video that raises questions about conditions inside the prison,” said Karim Khan QC, London-based lawyer for Libya’s former prime minister al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, also at al-Hadba. “The international community needs to demand a full investigation.”

Gadafy is facing trial on charges including killing a football player while head of Libya’s football federation. During his father’s time in power, he established a reputation as a playboy and had a brief unsuccessful career playing for several Italian football clubs. – (Guardian service)