On Thursday, Sabha appeals court accepted the appeal by Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi against the rejection of his presidential candidacy by the High National Elections Commission (HNEC). This decision opened the path of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi’s candidacy for the December 24 elections.
The candidacy of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi, was rejected last week.
Saif al-Islam was on trial by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Office of the Chief Military Prosecutor for the murder of large numbers of civilians and various war crimes during the anti-regime demonstrations that started in February 2011.
In the following days, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi objected to the decision regarding the cancellation of his candidacy through his lawyer.
However, the Tareq bin Ziyad militia group affiliated with warlord Khalifa Haftar’s 115th Brigade surrounded the Sebha Appeals Court on Monday, preventing judges from attending the hearing in order to prevent the objection of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi’s lawyer to cancel his candidacy application.
After intense protests, militia groups withdrew from the Sebha Court but targeted the judges soon after. The court postponed the hearing for the third time due to threats against the judges by militia groups affiliated with Haftar.
