Gaddafi's son, war criminal, walks free from prison, unpunished despite death sentence

Saif al-Islam is now a free man in Libya.

Colonel Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam has walked free from a Libyan prison. His release comes less than a year after he was sentenced to death for war crimes. Al-Islam is also wanted by the Hague for war crimes.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - Thanks to a loophole in Libyan law, Saif al-Islam will remain a free man.

A Libyan court convicted al-Islam of ordering the military to fire on civilians. He was also accused of inciting rape, murder and the recruiting of militias. Rebels captured al-Islam as he attempted to flee the country after the capture of his father, Muammar Gaddafi.

Al-Islam was brought to trial and sentenced to death. However, his death sentence was overturned under the terms of a general amnesty and he was released from house arrest, where he has been detained for the past five years.

Thanks to a loophole in Libyan law, the overturning of the death sentence means Al-Islam will go free and cannot be retried. To try him again would be double jeopardy.

He is now petitioning the Hague to drop their charges against him. If the war crimes charges from the International Court were dropped, he could travel freely around the world. As it stands, Al-Islam cannot leave Libya. Doing so could subject him to arrest by international authorities.

Libya remains in chaos as various rebel factions, including Islamic terrorists under the banner of ISIS, vie for control of the country. At this time, Tripoli is governed by a UN-backed government.

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