Berri was delivering a speech during an event commemorating the 1978 disappearance of Sadr and his companions during a trip to Libya. Berri said he believes that they are still alive and called for continuing efforts to find them.
He also called on the Lebanese media to follow up on Sadr’s disappearance adding that Lebanese judicial system is also looking into the case. However, he said that the committee formed to follow the case hasn’t been able to visit Libya due to the political instability.
“It followed up on the case from nearby countries,” he said.
Imam Musa al-Sadr was a highly revered Shia cleric of Iranian descent, who founded the Lebanese Amal (Hope) Movement in 1974. He came to Lebanon in 1959 to work for the rights of Shia Muslims in the port city of Tyre, located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Beirut.
The prominent Shia cleric disappeared on August 31, 1978, during an official visit to the Libyan capital Tripoli.
Imam Musa al-Sadr was accompanied by Sheikh Mohammad Yaqoub and journalist Abbas Badreddine.
Lebanon still holds former Libyan officials responsible for the disappearance of the trio.
Since Muammar Gaddafi was deposed and killed in 2011, Lebanon and Iran have repeatedly called on the Libyan government to launch an investigation into Sadr's disappearance.
Hannibal Gaddafi, the son of the Libyan dictator, is currently in custody in Lebanon, facing charges of withholding information regarding Sadr’s case.
In August 2016, Sadr's family filed a lawsuit against Gaddafi over his role in the disappearance of the senior Shia cleric.
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31 August 2017 - 06:34
News ID: 851504
(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Imam Musa Sadr and his companions are still alive, the Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri said at a ceremony Thursday to mark 39 years since Sadr’s disappearance.
