Qadhafi son in Libya court over murder, repression

TRIPOLI — A son of late dictator Muammar Qadhafi appeared in a Libyan court Sunday over the murder of a football coach in 2005 and alleged repression in the uprising that toppled his father.

Saadi Qadhafi, 42, sat alone in a caged dock of the courtroom located in the same complex as the Al Hadba prison where he is being held in Tripoli.

Dressed in a prison-issued blue uniform, the one-time playboy looked straight ahead and showed no emotions as the hearing got under way.

The judge said more time was needed to complete the investigation into the charges levelled against Saadi, and adjourned the trial until February 1.

Saadi was best known as the head of Libya's football federation and a player who paid his way into Italy's top division.

Qadhafi's third oldest son, he is accused of murdering a former trainer at Tripoli's Al Ittihad football club in 2005 and repressing during the 2011 armed uprising.

His trial opened in May but has been adjourned several times, the last time on November 1.

In September, he told Human Rights Watch (HRW) that he had been held in solitary confinement and that his rights had been violated during pretrial detention.

Three of Qadhafi's seven sons were killed in the 2011 NATO-backed uprising while he himself was captured and killed by rebels in October of that year.

In July, a court sentenced another Qadhafi son and one-time heir apparent Seif Al Islam to death for crimes during the uprising.

HRW also quoted Al Siddiq Al Sur, head of investigations at the general prosecutor's office, as saying Qadhafi had been charged with "first-degree murder, illegal consumption of alcohol, and illegal depravation of liberty".

Saadi's meeting with HRW at Al Hadba prison came a month after Arabic news website clearnews.com published a video appearing to show prison guards abusing him along with other detainees.