Sunday 26/October/2025 – 02:09 PM
In a remarkable development in the case of Hannibal Muammar Gaddafi, and after the Lebanese judiciary decided to release him in exchange for a record bail amounting to $11 million, lawyer Enas Harrag, coordinator of the legal team, opens the file of the ten years that her client spent in detention without trial. In this interview, she discusses the most prominent stages of the case, the details of what she described as political detention, in addition to the defense position on the accusations related to the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr, and the upcoming legal moves at the local and international levels.
In an exclusive interview with Cairo 24, Harrag reveals the harsh conditions that Hannibal Gaddafi lived in prison, and responds to the controversy surrounding the imposed bail, stressing that it is arbitrary and legally unjustified. It also clarifies the truth of the allegations circulating regarding defense representation, and confirms that only the official legal team is authorized to speak on behalf of Gaddafi, stressing that the legal battle will continue until all restrictions imposed on its client are lifted.
And to the text of the dialogue…
What is your comment on the Lebanese judiciary’s decision to release Hannibal Gaddafi?
We consider the release decision to be a positive and very late development, but the $11 million bail is completely illogical and impossible, especially since it is not based on any balanced judicial standard.
Was Hannibal Gaddafi subjected to legal or humanitarian violations during his detention?
The conditions of Hannibal Gaddafi’s detention over the past years were harsh and violated the most basic humanitarian and legal standards. He was not tried, and not even a single ruling was issued against him. He was subjected to psychological pressure and documented abuses during the kidnapping. We will demand an impartial investigation in this regard, and we have certainly resorted legally to appeal this part of the decision, because freedom is a right and not a privilege to be sold in this way.
What is Hannibal Gaddafi’s position on the accusations related to the disappearance of Musa al-Sadr? Does he have information that could help uncover the circumstances of the case?
Hannibal Gaddafi has nothing to do with the case, neither closely nor remotely. He was a child at the time of the incident, and he repeatedly stated and officially reported that he did not have any information that could add anything new to this file. Keeping him in detention under this pretext is an arbitrary political detention par excellence, as Human Rights Watch recently mentioned.
Do you think that the case has been moved in the Lebanese judiciary, or are there other matters?
Certainly, the political changes in Lebanon had a clear impact on this file, and this is one of the reasons that prompted the legal team to take action at this particular time. We consider that the current stage is the most appropriate to re-advance the issue effectively, and to invest any available margin to achieve unprecedented progress after years of stagnation and obstruction.
Is there communication with international or human rights bodies to support Hannibal Gaddafi’s position?
Yes, there are international and international human rights bodies who are fully aware of the file, and we are already in the process of escalating the process before international institutions when necessary. This is not a threat, but a natural legal right after internal means have been exhausted.
How did the years of detention affect the psychological state of Hannibal Gaddafi?
No normal human being could be detained for so long without a trial and without any clear charge without being psychologically affected. Unfortunately, visits were highly restricted and most requests were repeatedly denied, which is why we did not resort to requesting independent medical examinations, as we were fully aware of the outcome before it happened in this reality.
Has anyone contacted you to pay Hannibal Muammar Gaddafi’s bail?
Until now, there is no official or practical commitment to pay this huge amount. Yes, there are those who have shown a humanitarian initiative, but we stress that imposing a bail of this size is a new form of arbitrariness, and cannot be treated as a normal matter. The principle of payment is completely rejected, because Hannibal Gaddafi is not a criminal, and there is no legal basis that justifies imposing bail of this unprecedented size.
Where might Hannibal stay after his release?
This file is premature. Our priority now is to secure his full freedom without arbitrary restrictions. After that, any residence decision will be based on his safety, legal and humanitarian integrity.
What are the possible scenarios during the coming months?
We have two parallel paths: the first is to intensify the legal steps inside Lebanon to drop the impossible restrictions, while the second is to completely open the international path if it is proven that the obstruction is continuing, and we will not back down, and we will not accept that this file is closed under pressure or political trading.
There are many who claim to be part of the defense team of Hannibal Gaddafi. What impact does this have on the case and public opinion in Libya?
The decision to release Hannibal Gaddafi is a purely legal result, and no political party, state or external party interfered in its decision. The law has taken its course, and the official legal team, which consists of the officially appointed lawyer Laurent Bayonne, the lawyer Jean-Paul Laborde, the lawyer Nassib Shadid, and the lawyer Charbel Al-Khoury, is the one who achieved this result after 10 years of detention, and I personally, as coordinator of the legal team and responsible for media and communications, confirm that any name outside this episode had no role.
As for bail, it is a separate judicial decision, and we are working legally to reduce or cancel it, but this does not change the essence of the result we obtained. Any statements or allegations not issued by the official team are incorrect and do not represent us, and we ask the media and official bodies to return to us only for official communication, in order to preserve Hannibal’s image and rights.
