Saif al-Islam Gaddafi: Difference between revisions

Gaddafi was awarded a [[PhD]] degree in 2008 from the [[London School of Economics]], where he attended amid a [[LSE Gaddafi links|series of contacts]] between the school and the Libyan political establishment. He presented a thesis on "The role of civil society in the democratisation of global governance institutions: from 'soft power' to collective decision-making?"<ref>Alqadhafi, Saif Al-Islam, ''[https://catalogue.lse.ac.uk/Record/1187568 The role of civil society in the democratisation of global governance institutions: from "soft power" to collective decision-making?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728002526/https://catalogue.lse.ac.uk/Record/1187568 |date=28 July 2011 }}'', [[London School of Economics]] Library, 2008.</ref><ref>''[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8258617.stm Gaddafi son calls for democracy]'', [[BBC News]], 16 September 2009.</ref> Examined by [[Meghnad Desai, Baron Desai|Meghnad Desai]] (London School of Economics) and Anthony McGrew ([[University of Southampton]]), among the LSE academics acknowledged in the thesis as directly assisting with it were [[Nancy Cartwright (philosopher)|Nancy Cartwright]], [[David Held]] and Alex Voorhoeve (the son of former Dutch minister [[Joris Voorhoeve]]). Professor [[Joseph Nye]] of [[Harvard University]] is also thanked for having read portions of the manuscript and providing advice and direction.<ref>Desai, Meghnad (2011) LSE is paying a heavy price for Saif Gaddafi's PhD: When it comes to Saif Gaddafi and his PhD, hindsight is indeed a wonderful thing, The Guardian, Friday 4 March 2011</ref><ref>Alqadhafi, Saif Al-Islam (2008) The role of civil society in the democratisation of global governance institutions: from "soft power" to collective decision-making? A thesis submitted to the Department of Philosophy of the London School of Economics for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, September 2007, and published 2008, p.4.</ref> Furthermore, allegations abound that Saif's thesis was in many parts ghost-written by consultants from Monitor Group, which earned $3 million per year in fees from Muammar Gaddafi.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/gaddafi-son-plagiarised-his-degree-thesis-at-lse-2229620.html|title=Gaddafi son plagiarised his thesis at LSE.|work=The Independent |date=2 March 2011|access-date=21 October 2011|location=London|first=Adam|last=Sherwin}}</ref>

 

 

===Charity and social affairs===

With the death of [[death of Muammar Gaddafi|Muammar]] and [[Mutassim Gaddafi]] in [[Sirte]] on 20 October 2011, Saif al-Islam was the only member of the [[Gaddafi family]] left in Libya. He appeared on Syrian pro-Gaddafi television on 22 October claiming "I am in Libya, I am alive and free and willing to fight to the end and take revenge",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/313227 |title=Libya's NTC claim Saif al-Islam Gaddafi captured alive, uninjured |publisher=Digital Journal |access-date=20 November 2011|date=23 October 2011 }}</ref> but his whereabouts were unknown and subject to many rumours.

 

 

On 19 November 2011, as Saif al-Islam was trying to flee from Libya, he and four aides were captured,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiavision.com/news/article/international/243165/gaddafis-son-hires-mercenaries-to-flee/|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20130419025236/http://www.indiavision.com/news/article/international/243165/gaddafis-son-hires-mercenaries-to-flee/|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 April 2013|title=Gaddafi's son hires mercenaries to flee|date=31 October 2011|work=[[Indiavision News]]}}</ref> and detained about {{convert|50|km}} west of the town of [[Ubari]] near [[Sabha, Libya|Sabha]] in southern Libya, {{convert|640|km}} from Tripoli.<ref name=bbccapture/> Sources say that it was the betrayal by a Libyan nomad, Yussef Saleh al-Hotmani, that finally led to his capture. Yussef Saleh al-Hotmani told the interviewers that he was hired to guide a man to Niger and that he was offered €1 million for the job. Being offered such a huge sum of money, he suspected foul play as Saif's agent did not tell him whom he was going to guide. He contacted the rebel fighters and told them where a two vehicle convoy would pass through southern Libya on the night of 18 November and this allowed the rebel fighters to ambush the convoy. Saif was taken to Zintan by plane and, pending trial, he was kept in detention by the Zintan-militia that captured him.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8902994/Libya-conflict-brewing-over-trial-of-Saif-al-Islam-Gaddafi.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Richard | last=Spencer | title=Libya: conflict brewing over trial of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi | date=20 November 2011}}</ref>