عندما تتشابه الأرقام وتختلف المصائر… 11 مليون دولار بين ماري معربس وهنيبال القذافي.

An Old Video of the Liberation of Marie Moarbes for $11 Million Resurfaces, Bringing the Case of Hannibal Gaddafi Back to the Forefront, and Sparking Controversy Over His Detention in Lebanon.

The name of Marie Moarbes, the Lebanese citizen who was held by the “Abu Sayyaf” group in the Philippines in 2000, has returned to the spotlight after a video clip showing the moment of her release as part of an international deal sponsored by Libya was circulated. It is noteworthy that Libya paid approximately $11 million at the time, through direct political intervention, to secure the release of the hostages.

What is striking is that this amount has resurfaced after 25 years, but this time in Beirut, with the decision to release Hannibal Gaddafi on a similar financial bail, also amounting to about $11 million, which sparked a flood of comments and reactions on social media platforms.

Libyan activists expressed their strong dissatisfaction, considering that Libya – which intervened politically and provided financial support to liberate hostages, including a Lebanese citizen – finds itself today facing a Lebanese judiciary that detains Gaddafi’s son. Some wrote: “25 years ago, Libya paid $11 million to liberate Lebanese people from the clutches of death in the Philippines… and today, in the height of ingratitude, Gaddafi’s son is being held in Beirut and his case is being managed with a logic of political blackmail.”

It is worth mentioning that Hannibal Gaddafi has been detained in Lebanon since 2015 in connection with the case of Imam Musa al-Sadr and his companions, after he was brought from Syria in an operation described as a political kidnapping. Since his arrest, the judicial file has remained frozen in light of the divergence of views between those demanding his trial and those who consider his detention a bargaining chip linked to the political conflict in Lebanon.

source: 961 today