Saif al-Islam Gaddafi

For his younger brother, see Saif al-Arab al-Gaddafi.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi سيف الإسلام معمر القذافي
Personal details
Born	(1972-06-25)25 June 1972 Tripoli, Libya
Alma mater	Al Fateh University International Management Development Consulting University London School of Economics
Profession	Engineer
Military service
Allegiance	Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Years of service	2011
Battles/wars	2011 Libyan civil war * Battle of Tripoli * Battle of Bani Walid

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi (Arabic: سيف الإسلام معمر القذافي, translated as "Sword of Islam"; born 25 June 1972) is the second son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his second wife Safia Farkash. He was part of his father's former inner circle, performing public relations and diplomatic roles on behalf of his father. During his father's reign, he was the second most-widely recognized official in Libya (his father was first) and had been mentioned as a possible successor, though he has denied this. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for charges of crimes against humanity against the Libyan people, for allegedly torturing and killing civilians, a charge that Saif denied.

During the fall of Tripoli on 21 August 2011, it was widely reported that he had been captured by NTC forces, but on the night of 22 August he appeared at the Rixos hotel entrance, where foreign journalists were staying.

Although it was again widely reported at the time that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was captured or killed by NTC forces during the concluding stages of the Battle of Sirte on 20 October 2011, these reports appear to be false due to the fact that shortly after his father was killed, the Libyan prime minister Mahmoud Jibril said that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi had managed to escape and was on the run. On 24 October 2011, he reportedly secured the support of tribes loyal to his father and declared that he will continue fighting. On the 28 October it was reported that he has successfully left Libya and was in Niger.

Education and career

In 1994, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi graduated with a BSc degree in Engineering Science from Tripoli's Al Fateh University, and earned an MBA from Vienna's IMADEC University in 2000.

His paintings made up the bulk of the international Libyan art exhibit, "The Desert Is Not Silent" (2002–2005), a show which was supported by a host of international corporations with direct ties to his father's regime.

In 2008, Gaddafi was awarded a PhD degree from London School of Economics, for a thesis entitled "The role of civil society in the democratisation of global governance institutions: from 'soft power' to collective decision-making?" Examined by Meghnad Desai (London School of Economics) and Anthony McGrew (University of Southampton), among the LSE academics acknowledged in the thesis as directly assisting with it were Nancy Cartwright, David Held and Alex Voorhoeve (the son of former Dutch minister Joris Voorhoeve). Professor Joseph Nye of Harvard University is also thanked for having read portions of the manuscript and providing advice and direction. In a later investigation by Channel 4 News, they found that 6% of the 93,000-word thesis was copied from other sources. Furthermore, allegations abound that Saif's thesis was in many parts ghost-written by consultants from Monitor Group, which pocketed $3 million per year in fees from Muammar Gaddafi and whose ranks include Robert Nye, who is thanked in the paper.

Speaking in Sabha on 20 August 2008, Gaddafi said that he would no longer involve himself in state affairs. He noted that he had previously "intervene[d] due to the absence of institutions", but said that he would no longer do so. He dismissed any potential suggestion that this decision was due to disagreement with his father, saying that they were on good terms. He also called for political reforms within the context of the Jamahiriya system and rejected the notion that he could succeed his father, saying that "this is not a farm to inherit".

He owned an architectural agency in Tripoli—the National Engineering Service and Supplies Company.

Gaddafi was the president of the Libyan National Association for Drugs and Narcotics Control (DNAG). In 1997, he founded the official charity, the Gaddafi International Foundation for Charity Associations, which intervened in various hostage situations involving Islamic militants and the crisis of the HIV trial in Libya and the resulting European Union-Libyan rapprochement.

International diplomacy

Saif was instrumental in negotiations that led to Libya's abandoning a weapons of mass destruction programme in 2002–2003. He arranged several important business deals on behalf of the Libyan regime in the period of rapprochement that followed. He was viewed as a reformer, and has openly criticized the regime:

[a] congressional aide asked him what Libya needed most. His one-word answer: democracy.

"You mean Libya needs more democracy?" the aide asked.

"No. 'More democracy’ would imply that we had some," Saif said.

In 2003, he published a report critical of Libya's record on human rights.

On 10 December 2004, shortly before a trip by Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin to Tripoli, in an interview with The Globe and Mail Saif requested a formal apology from the Canadian government, for joining U.S.-led sanctions against Libya after the Lockerbie bombing, and for denying him a student visa to study in Canada in 1997. His request was met with incredulity in Canada, and the Canadian government announced that no apology would be forthcoming.

HIV trial

Main article: HIV trial in Libya

Saif admitted in interviews that the Bulgarian nurses, charged with conspiring to deliberately infect over 400 children with HIV in 1998, had been tortured and that the government had denied them a fair trial. His admissions were said to have badly damaged his reputation in Libya.

Isratine proposal

Saif introduced the Isratine proposal to permanently resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a secular, federalist, republican one-state solution. The first ever opinion poll survey to be undertaken in both Pakistani and Indian-controlled Kashmir, conducted by King's College, London, and the polling organisation IPSOS-MORI, was also Saif's brainchild, having arisen out of discussions he had with British academic Robert Bradnock, the author of the 2010 Chatham House report on the survey.

2008 agreement with Italy

Saif was involved in negotiating compensation from Libya's former colonial power, Italy, and on 30 August 2008 a Friendship, Partnership and Cooperation Agreement was signed in Benghazi by his father and Italy's prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Compensation for American terror victims

He was also negotiating with the United States in order to conclude a comprehensive agreement making any further payments for American victims of terror attacks that have been blamed on Libya – such as the 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing, the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and the 1989 UTA Flight 772 bombing – conditional upon U.S. payment of compensation for the 40 Libyans killed and 220 injured in the 1986 United States bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi. On 14 August 2008, the U.S.-Libya Comprehensive Claims Settlement Agreement was signed in Tripoli. Former British Ambassador to Libya Oliver Miles described the agreement as "a bold step, with political cost for both parties" and wrote an article in the online edition of The Guardian querying whether the agreement is likely to work.

In an August 2008 BBC TV interview, Saif Gaddafi said that Libya had admitted responsibility (but not "guilt") for the Lockerbie bombing simply to get trade sanctions removed. He further admitted that Libya was being "hypocritical" and was "playing on words", but Libya had no other choice on the matter. According to Saif, a letter admitting "responsibility" was the only way to end the economic sanctions imposed on Libya. When asked about the compensation that Libya was paying to the victims' families, he again repeated that Libya was doing so because it had no other choice. He went on to describe the families of the Lockerbie victims as "trading with the blood of their sons and daughters" and being very "greedy": "They were asking for more money and more money and more money".

Diplomacy for extraditing Libyans

Interviewed by French newspaper Le Figaro on 7 December 2007, Saif said that the seven Libyans convicted for the Pan Am Flight 103 and the UTA Flight 772 bombings "are innocent". When asked if Libya would therefore seek reimbursement of the compensation paid to the families of the victims (US$2.33 billion), Saif replied: "I don't know." Saif led negotiations with Britain for the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the convicted Pan Am 103 conspirator.

In 2007, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Tripoli, with whom it is alleged he helped broker an arms deal, including missiles.

In November 2008, Saif made a high-profile visit to the United States where he met with US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. During the meeting, Rice raised the case of Libya's jailed political dissident and democracy activist, Fathi El-Jahmi.

Stand-off with US officials

In 2009, Saif claimed that Libya's opinion of him was shaped largely by his role in Libya's engagement with the West, saying "If something goes wrong, people will blame me, whether I am in a certain official position or not." He expressed frustration with the US, saying Libya's decision to give up its Weapons of Mass Destruction programs was contingent upon "compensation" from the US, including the signing of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, economic cooperation, and cooperation in purchasing conventional weapons and military equipment. He stated, "We share rich natural resources – oil and gas – along the borders, yet we have no capacity to defend that wealth." Because of a US legal embargo, Libya cannot purchase weapons from the United States, Sweden, or Germany, and has been disallowed from buying "Tiger" vehicles with American-manufactured engines from Jordan. He asked for greater military assistance, as Libya had committed itself to destroying chemical stockpiles, but would require at least $25 million to do so. Saif said the United States had "humiliated" his father during his visit to New York in 2009, and said that his father's tent and residence issues were disappointing and his UN speech had been misinterpreted. Saif said that his father was barred from visiting Ground Zero, which also frustrated him. Saif held a standoff with US officials in November 2009, refusing to send a shipment of HEU back to Russia unless the United States renewed its commitment to cooperation with Libya.

2011 Libyan civil war

Further information: 2011 Libyan civil war

On 20 February, he made an extemporaneous speech on Libyan state TV. In it, he blamed the civil war on tribal factions and Islamists acting on their own agendas, drunken and drugged. He promised reforms, and said the alternative would be civil war causing no trade, no oil money, and the country taken over by foreigners. He closed by saying, "We will not let Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and BBC trick us." Many analysts disagreed with his assessment, including Oliver Miles, a former British Ambassador to Libya. In an interview with ABC News reporter Christiane Amanpour, Saif al-Islam denied that his father's regime is killing civilians. On 28 February, a video became available online in which Saif Gaddafi appears to spur on a crowd of followers to fight the opposition, and promises weapons to them, while brandishing a G36 assault rifle. On 27 June, an arrest warrant was issued by the ICC. In August, Saif gave an interview to the New York Times stating that Libya was becoming more closely aligned to Islamists and would likely resemble Iran or Saudi Arabia. Saif said that his father was working closely with Islamists within the rebellion to splinter the resistance.

In June 2011, Muammar Gaddafi and his son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi announced that they were willing to hold elections and that Gaddafi would step aside if he lost. Saif al-Islam stated that the elections could be held within three months and transparency would be guaranteed through international observers. NATO and the rebels rejected the offer, and NATO soon resumed their bombardment of Tripoli.

On 1 July 2011, Saif had an interview with Russia Today, where he denied the ICC's allegations that he, or his father, ordered the killing of civilian protesters. He pointed out that he is not a member of the government or the military, and therefore has no authority to give such orders. According to Saif, he made recorded calls to General Abdul Fatah, who later defected to the rebel forces, in order to request not to use force against protesters, to which Fatah responded that they are attacking a military site, where surprised guards fired in self-defence. Saif also condemned NATO for bombing Libyan civilians, including his family members and their children, under the false pretence that their homes were military bases. He also stated that NATO offered to drop the ICC charges against him and his father if they accept a secret deal, an offer they rejected. He thus criticised the ICC as "a fake court" that is controlled by the NATO nations.

On 21 August, the National Transitional Council claimed that Saif al-Islam was arrested by the National Liberation Army, pursuant to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. However, on the early morning of 23 August, Saif al-Islam was seen by Western journalists apparently moving around under his own free will outside the Rixos Hotel.

On 20 October, Al Arabiya and BBC World News cited unconfirmed reports that Saif al-Islam was both wounded and captured near Sirte by Libyan National Liberation Army troops. Then Press TV reported that Libya's Justice minister Mohammad al-Alagi had confirmed that Saif was captured. He had been taken to a hospital in Zliten after being shot in the leg while trying to flee but was surrounded by rebel forces. However, the next day, it was reported by NTC officials that he was not in their custody. They believed al-Islam was heading toward the Niger border in the southern desert in an attempt to flee the country.

Aftermath

On 22 October, Saif al-Islam was reported to have been captured near Bani Walid and was being transported to Misrata. Although this could not be independently confirmed. Another report said that he had appeared on a pro-Gaddafi network on the same night, saying that he was still in Libya and would continue fighting. On 24 October 2011, he reportedly secured the support of tribes loyal to his father and declared that he will continue fighting.

An international team of lawyers representing the interests of Saif al Islam Gaddafi wrote to US leaders demanding that he be protected from assassination and held the United States and NATO responsible for the Libyan leader’s "brutal assassination" and repeated attacks on Libya's civilian population

On 26 October, it was reported that Saif al-Islam fled to neighbouring Niger, and was spotted north of Arlit (about 400 km north of Agadez) having already established contacts with the Nigerien Armed Forces. He is sought by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for crimes against humanity. Both Reuters and the Arab network Al-Arabiya reported that Saif al-Islam and former intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi proposed to hand themselves over to the International Criminal Court. However, the International Criminal Court could not immediately confirm those reports.

International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo said "Through intermediaries, we have informal contact with Saif" in a statement. Saif is expected to try to surrender to the International Criminal Court or seek refuge in a friendly African country, reportedly as he races to escape his father's fate. He is reportedly heading to the West African nation of Niger, where his father is viewed as a 'hero' by many people in the country. Niger has agreed to hand him over to the ICC, but risks facing a backlash from many of its own people if the country decides to hand him over.

Personal life

In 2006 Gaddafi was romantically linked to the actress, Orly Weinerman. In 2009, a party in Montenegro for his 37th birthday included guests, Oleg Deripaska, Peter Munk and Prince Albert of Monaco.

British society

Gaddafi has been hosted at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle by the British royal family. Gaddafi claims that former Prime Minister Tony Blair is a personal friend who took an interest in advising Libya on oil revenues and finance. In 2009, he spent a weekend at Waddesdon Manor, home of financier Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, where he was the guest of Lord Mandelson and Nathaniel Philip Rothschild. He later stayed at the Rothschild holiday home in Corfu. Nathaniel Rothschild was a guest at Saif's 37th birthday celebration in Montenegro.

Links with the London School of Economics

Main article: LSE Libya Links

Saif received his PhD from the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2008, his thesis was on analysis using crowdsourcing. Through the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation (GICDF), Saif subsequently pledged a donation of £1.5 million to support the work of the LSE's Centre for the Study of Global Governance on civil society organisations in North Africa. Following the LSE Libya Links affair, the LSE issued a statement indicating that it will cut all financial ties with the country and will accept no further money from the GICDF, having already received and spent the first £300,000 instalment of the donation.

Pressure was put on the LSE to revoke his qualification. LSE set up a review process to investigate the claims in early 2011.

External links

• "Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation". Archived from the original on 26 April 2011.
• Profile at GlobalSecurity.org
• Saif Gaddafi's vision for Libya, BBC News, November 16, 2004
• Libya 'tortured' Bulgarian medics, BBC News, August 9, 2007
• Qaddafi's son declares he's leaving politics, New York Times, August 22, 2008
• ABC interview
• Gaddafi son calls for democracy, BBC News, September 16, 2009
• Unknotting Father’s Reins in Hope of ‘Reinventing’ Libya, Landon Thomas Jr., New York Times, February 28, 2010
• Gaddafi's son talks of conspiracy, Aljazeera English, February 20, 2011
• Translated transcript of February 20, 2011 speech
• Factbox: Facts about Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Reuters, February 21, 2011
• Profile: Libya's Saif al-Islam, Aljazeera English, February 21, 2011
• Saif Al-Gaddafi, "The Role of Civil Society in the Democratization of Global Governance Institutions: From 'Soft Power' to Collective Decision-Making?" PhD Thesis, London School of Economics, 2008.