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 nan 2012-13 play erstwhile Ansar al-Din ruled Timbuktu.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Clad successful all-white accepted West African robes pinch his caput wrapped successful a turban, Al Hassan showed nary emotion aft nan judge publication his sentence. But he listened intently pinch his hands folded successful his lap.

He was later led distant by ICC information guards.

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

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

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

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

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