A Libyan court on Tuesday sentenced Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, to death, according to judicial resources.

The Tripoli-based court also ruled on eight other senior figures of the former government, including the former security chief, Abdullah al-Senussi.

Seif has been held by militias in the western city of Zintan since the downfall of Gadaffi. The militant group refused to hand him over to the Libyan government and it was unclear whether the sentence could be carried out.

Some local media also called the ruling controversial, saying the court was under pressure of the Islamist forces that have expelled the elected Libyan government and are currently occupying the capital city of Tripoli.

Libya's Ministry of Justice earlier denounced the trials set by the Tripoli court on Seif as well as 37 other Gaddafi's close officials.

Justice Minister Al-Mabruk Ghraira Omran called on the international community not to accept the verdicts, saying the judges involved were "working at gunpoint and in fear of murder or kidnap."

Following the civil war which toppled Gaddafi, Libya has descended into anarchy, leaving a power vacuum in most of its territories and encouraging local warlords and extremism to grow.

Since last September, the UN Support Mission in Libya has been struggling to solve the political jigsaw puzzle in the country by brokering peace talks, but endless clashes between different armed groups and the lack of genuine desire to reach a political solution has made the UN efforts fruitless.