Libya: Attempts to sabotage electoral process being investigated by United Nations

The UN raised worry on Monday about the closure of a Libyan appeals court that was supposed to decide whether the late dictator Moammar Gadhafi's son Saif al-Islam Gadhafi could run for president. It was forced to close because an armed group violently disrupted the running of a court in the city of Sabha in the country's southwest region, as per an AP News report. The United Nations expressed concern about the abuse of judges in Sabha, who were physically barred from carrying out their responsibilities, as well as worry over an increasing number of reports of judges being threatened around the country, particularly those dealing with election-related cases.

Judges in Libya will decide whether Saif al-Islam Gadhafi will be allowed to compete for the country's top position after he filed an appeal against a judgement last week barring him from running for Presidency. Years of UN-led negotiations between the country's warring parties have resulted in the forthcoming elections. Candidates have until December 24 to file appeals involving their own candidacy or those of other candidates.

Libya's top electoral board released a list of candidates last week

Last week, Libya's top electoral board released a list of candidates who failed to meet the requirements, which includes Saif al-Islam. Due to prior crimes, he was forbidden from entering the country. A Tripoli court had condemned Gadhafi for employing violence against protestors during a 2011 revolt against his father. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for him on grounds of crimes against humanity, connected to the rebellion.

Following Moammar Gadhafi's downfall and assassination in 2011, Libya spent the next decade divided between two opposing regimes, one in Tripoli and the other in the country's east. Mercenaries and foreign armies from Turkey, Russia, and Syria, as well as other regional countries, have supported both sides in the civil war.

Saif al-Islam candidacy sparked debate across the country

On November 14, the son of Libya's former ruler filed his candidacy papers in Sabha, Libya's southern town. The 49-year-old, who holds a PhD from the London School of Economics, was seen in public for the first time in years. Late in 2011, he was kidnapped by fighters in the town of Zintan, where his father's 40-year tenure came to an end, according to AP News. His potential candidacy sparked debate across the country, which has seen a slew of other high-profile candidates emerge in recent weeks, which includes interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and prominent military leader Khalifa Hifter.

(Inputs from AP News)

Image: AP