Samir al-Sa‘dawi is the international affairs editor at the Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat. A Libyan national, he spoke to Diwan about the reported release last weekend of Seif al-Islam Qaddafi, the son of the late Libyan leader Mu‘ammar al-Qaddafi, who had been imprisoned since 2011.

Qaddafi’s release by the militias of Zintan was the result of an amnesty law approved by the administration in the eastern city of Tobruk. However, he is still wanted by a rival UN-backed administration in Tripoli, as well by as the International Criminal Court. In this interview, conducted this week, Sa‘dawi examines why Qaddafi was freed and whether he has a political future in Libya.

Sa‘dawi also recorded an Arabic-language version of this interview on Diwan’s Arabic site. 

* The interview was organized and filmed by Carnegie Web Coordinator Ghida Tayara.