Said al-Islam, Saadi Gaddafi begin war crimes trial

The war crimes trial of two sons of Libya’s former dictator Muammar Gaddafi begins amid tight security in Tripoli on Monday.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and his younger brother Saadi – best known for his failed attempts to become a professional footballer – are accused of orchestrating a campaign of murder, torture and bombardment of civilians during Libya's eight-month civil war in 2011.

Gaddaf’s former spy chief, Abdullah al-Senussi, two former prime ministers and 34 senior officials representing much of the dictatorship's surviving elite, will also face trial.

They are accused of masterminding a chain of massacres in the early days of Libya's revolution, and of later rounding up, torturing and killing hundreds of opponents.

Moreover, the Gaddafi brothers are also accused of plundering state coffers to fund extravagant playboy lifestyles abroad.

However, in a sign of the power of the militias, units holding Saif al-Islam in the mountain town of Zintan have refused to hand him over to the authorities. Instead, he will stand trial over a video link.

Investigators have released few details of the case, but documents filed by Libya with the international criminal court show an extensive charge sheet, more than 200 witnesses an 40,000 pages of evidence.

The trial is littered with controversy because the International Criminal Court, which has charged Saif al-Islam and former spy chief Senussi, has yet to agree to Libyan requests to try both at home over fears of unfair trial.

Judges at The Hague ruled that Saif al-Islam must be sent to the ICC, and his lawyers are appealing against a decision that Libya is fit to try Senussi, 64.

But Libya has insisted that the trial will be fair and transparent.