Gaddafi's son demands to stand trail in Zintan rather than Tripoli

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Gaddafi's son demands to stand trail in Zintan rather than Tripoli

(Xinhua) 13:14, November 06, 2013

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TRIPOLI, Nov. 5 -- Saif al-Islam, son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, on Tuesday demanded to be tried in the western Libyan city of Zintan rather than Tripoli.

"There is no difference between Zintan and capital Tripoli," young Gaddafi told the country's Alaseema TV in his first television appearance under detention.

Libyan Attorney General Abdel Kader Radwan recently issued a request to the court in Zintan to hand over Saif al-Islam in order that the Criminal Court should try him along with other 36 Gaddafi-era officials accused of war crimes committed during the 2011 uprising.

But the militia group in control of Zintan has refused to hand the second son of Gaddafi over due to security concerns.

Colonel Ajami Aotaira, who arrested Saif al-Islam three years ago, termed the attorney general's repeated requests of handing over the indicted to Tripoli as an attempt to discredit Zintan. He said Saif al-Islam could be easily targeted in the capital.

Aotaira also accused that Radwan is colluding with religious groups to push their own agenda that is not fitting with the national interests.

Saif al-Islam was arrested in November 2011 in Libya's southern desert by a militia group, a month after his father was killed in his home town of Sirte.

He made an appearance on Sept. 19 in the Zintan Court on security charges. The court postponed the trial to Dec. 12, waiting for the presence of another six defendants.

（Editor：LiangJun、Zhang Qian）