Saif Gaddafi refuses to cooperate in investigation

Sources have informed Libyan newspaper Al-Watan that Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi “is not cooperating” with the committee in charge of interrogating him. According to the Libyan paper, the source stated that Muammar Gaddafi's son rejected accusations against him while insisting on having a lawyer attend the interrogation before trial sessions start. He added that interrogations with Gaddafi’s son were conducted in good conditions, lasting for hours in preparation for his trial. He also said that he was not subjected to torture or coercion during the procedures. The source indicated that the investigation committee presented a video to Saif where he appears to be inciting murder; he however denied the charges. Head of the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) Mustafa Abdel Jalil had previously announced that Saif would be moved to a jail in Tripoli for two months before appearing in court. Arrested last November 19 in southwestern Libya, Saif Al-Islam has since been held in an undisclosed location in Zintan. Paris-based Jeune Afrique reported that the Zintan fighters had up till now opposed the transfer of Saif Al-Islam to Tripoli to spare him from suffering the same fate as his father, who was killed near Sirte. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has indicted him of crimes against humanity but Libyan authorities have stated their intention to try Saif al-Islam on their own territory. The NTC has stressed that Saif al-Islam would receive a fair trial. Neighbouring Niger has confiscated all communication devices belonging to Saadi, Saif al-Islam’s brother, after he warned of an “imminent Intifada by opponents to the current authorities in Tripoli.”