The son of Muammar Gaddafi, who fought for power in Libya, was killed. What you need to know

Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the country's longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, was killed in Libya. He was shot dead by a group of armed men in his own home. Despite the fact that the Libyan transitional government sentenced Gaddafi to death, he was a registered candidate to run in the country's next presidential election. What was the 53-year—old politician like in the Izvestia article.

How Gaddafi's son was killed

• Seif al-Islam Gaddafi was assassinated on February 3 at his home in the city of Zintan, which is located on territory controlled by the internationally recognized Government of National Unity. The death of Muammar Gaddafi's son, Libya's longtime leader, was first confirmed by his lawyer Khaled al-Zaidi and political adviser Abdullah Othman.

• Gaddafi's political entourage said that four armed men in masks broke into his house and shot him dead. The 53-year-old politician tried to resist. The gunmen fled after turning off the surveillance cameras.

• On February 4, the Libyan Prosecutor General's Office confirmed Gaddafi's death as a result of gunshot wounds. It has been suggested that the 444th brigade under the command of Mahmoud Hamza, which is subordinate to the Government of National Unity, could have been behind the attack, but it denies involvement in the murder.

Gaddafi planned to participate in the first-ever Libyan presidential election and was registered as a candidate. The holding of elections has been discussed since the overthrow of his father in 2011, the date of their holding has been postponed several times and is currently undetermined. Gaddafi's supporters issued a statement in which they indicated that his murder would be an obstacle to the establishment of peace in Libya and its unification.

Gaddafi's role before 2011

Seif al-Islam Gaddafi was the second son of Muammar Gaddafi and the first by his second wife Safia Farkash. He was born in 1972, when his father had been the de facto head of Libya for three years after the overthrow of the monarchy. He holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Tripoli and a Master's degree in Business Administration from the Imadec Business School in Vienna. Gaddafi had been living in London since 2002, and six years later he received his PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Gaddafi never held official positions in the Libyan government, but he was a prominent figure in the country's political life and was considered his successor until his father's overthrow in 2011. Gaddafi headed the non-governmental organization of the International Foundation for Cooperation in the Field of Gaddafi Charity and in this capacity was engaged in diplomatic work, participated in events and met with officials of other countries.

Gaddafi Jr. participated in negotiations on Libya's renunciation of weapons of mass destruction, which ended in success in 2003. He also played a major role in completing the trial of Bulgarian doctors, who in 1998 were accused of infecting Libyan children with HIV and sentenced to death. Gaddafi claimed that he helped extradite the doctors to Bulgaria in exchange for concluding an agreement with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the supply of anti-tank missiles.

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In 2008, Gaddafi participated in the conclusion of an agreement between the United States and Libya on the payment of compensation to the relatives of victims of terrorist attacks committed by Libyan intelligence officers. After that, economic sanctions were lifted from Tripoli. Gaddafi also settled a dispute with Italy over compensation for the colonial past. In addition, he brokered a peace agreement in 2001 between the Philippine Government and Islamist groups.

In the last years of his father's rule, Gaddafi had a reputation as a reformer who intended to bring about democratic transformation in Libya and improve the human rights situation. He periodically criticized the state of affairs in the country and had strained relations with the conservative entourage of Muammar Gaddafi.

Gaddafi after 2011

• In 2011, against the backdrop of the "Arab Spring", protests against the ruling regime began in Libya. Seif al-Islam Gaddafi made an address to the nation, in which he called on the protesters to reach an agreement with the government. He promised to carry out reforms, but warned that his father must remain in power, otherwise a full-fledged civil war would occur in the country. After that, Gaddafi's contacts with Western partners were severed, and the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him.

• After the death of his father and brothers, Seif al-Islam Gaddafi became the last man in the family of those who remained in Libya. In November 2011, he tried to flee the country, but was captured by the militia. Gaddafi lost several fingers during the fighting. He was taken to Zintan and placed in custody there. At the same time, the local militia refused to extradite Gaddafi to the transitional government in Tripoli.

• Gaddafi appeared in court in absentia and participated in the sessions via video link. In 2015, a Tripoli court sentenced him to death for his involvement in war crimes. One of Gaddafi's lawyers was Karim Khan, who later became an ICC judge. Two years later, he was released under an amnesty granted in Libya.

• After Gaddafi's release, he announced plans to participate in the Libyan presidential election and began to conduct public activities, offering his options for leading the country out of the crisis. In 2021, he submitted the documents for registration as a candidate. After the initial refusal, the court confirmed Gaddafi's right to participate in the elections. In a sociological survey conducted soon after, he became the leader among potential candidates.