Clooney fiancée sparks stir over Qaddafi-era case

She hit the headlines last week for winning the heart of the world’s most eligible bachelor, but now Lebanese-born lawyer Amal Alamuddin is in the spotlight not just for her engagement to George Clooney.

Alamuddin’s legal work is now increasingly becoming scrutinized in the public eye following her engagement announcement.

Among other high profile cases, Alamuddin is currently defending a suspected Libyan war criminal, former spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi.

The news was widely reported on Sunday, as the high-flying barrister is helping the 64-year-old appeal against the decision to allow his trial to take place in Libya, where he could face the death penalty.

Senussi is the late Colonel Muammar Qaddafi’s former right-hand man, who is accused of numerous atrocities against his people and was charged along with Qaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam.

The former spy chief has also been convicted in absentia by a French court for the 1989 bombing of a French airliner.

He was charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court as he was accused of overseeing a prison massacre of 1,200 inmates as well as torture and hangings.

High-flying career

Alamuddin has previously represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during his fight against extradition to Sweden on sex assault charges.

She is also known for advising United Nations former secretary-general Kofi Annan on Syria, and for challenging the detention of Ukraine’s ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko before the European Court of Human Rights.

Last week, Alamuddin and Clooney announced their engagement.

They came out as a couple in October in London, according to People magazine, and since have been seen together in New York and on trips to places like Tanzania and the Seychelles Islands.