ICC sentences Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz to 10 years over Mali war crimes

Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz was convicted successful June of warfare crimes and crimes against humanity during the 2012-13 play erstwhile Ansar al-Din ruled Timbuktu.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sentenced a cardinal subordinate of a Malian equipped radical to 10 years successful situation for warfare crimes and crimes against humanity committed much than a decennary agone successful the metropolis of Timbuktu.

Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz was convicted successful June connected charges including torture, rape and intersexual slavery, arsenic good arsenic destroying spiritual and historical buildings, portion serving arsenic constabulary main aft the al-Qaeda-linked Ansar al-Din radical seized power of Timbuktu successful 2012 for astir a year.

Presiding Judge Kimberly Prost ruled connected Wednesday that the 47-year-old contributed to the Ansar al-Dine rule, whose actions had a “traumatic effect connected the colonisation of Timbuktu”.

The radical “lived successful an ambiance of fear, violence, oppression, [and] humiliation” and that play “remains contiguous successful the minds of victims successful a deep-seated trauma”, she said.

The condemnation “is proportionate to the gravity of the crimes and the idiosyncratic circumstances and culpability of Mr Al Hassan”, she added.

“It adequately reflects the beardown condemnation by the planetary assemblage for the crimes committed by him and acknowledges the important harm and suffering caused to the victims,” Prost continued.

Clad successful all-white accepted West African robes with his caput wrapped successful a turban, Al Hassan showed nary emotion aft the justice work his sentence. But helium listened intently with his hands folded successful his lap.

He was aboriginal led distant by ICC information guards.

Among the crimes committed by Al Hassan were “cruel attraction arsenic a warfare crime” for flogging 1 person, “mutilation” for amputating a hand, and “torture arsenic a transgression against humanity and a warfare crime”.

The Hague-based tribunal besides heard that during the Ansar al-Dine rule, women were arrested past raped successful detention.

There were besides brutal floggings successful the cardinal quadrate successful beforehand of crowds including children, arsenic good arsenic a nationalist amputation by machete.

Al Hassan was, however, acquitted successful June of the warfare crimes of rape and intersexual slavery, arsenic good arsenic the transgression against humanity of forced marriage.

Although the tribunal ruled that definite crimes of intersexual unit had taken spot during the period, helium was not recovered to carnivore work for them.