The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sentenced Al-Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud, the former head of the Islamic police in Timbuktu, Mali, to 10 years in prison for war crimes.
Al-Hassan, 47, was found guilty of torture, overseeing public amputations, and organizing brutal floggings, including of children, during Ansar Dine’s occupation of Timbuktu in 2012. The al-Qaeda-linked group imposed strict Islamic rule on the historic city, leading to widespread abuses.
Presiding judge Kimberly Prost stated that the sentence reflects the gravity of the crimes and the suffering of the victims. However, Al-Hassan was acquitted of charges related to rape, sexual slavery, and the destruction of Timbuktu’s ancient mausoleums. The court acknowledged that sexual violence occurred under Ansar Dine but found insufficient evidence to hold him directly responsible.
Rights groups criticized the acquittal on gender-based crimes, highlighting testimonies from women who were raped while in detention.
Al-Hassan, who was handed over to the ICC by Malian authorities in 2018, has 30 days to appeal the ruling. Reparations for the victims will be determined at a later date.
Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage site, suffered immense cultural and historical loss during the 2012 Islamist occupation. In 2016, Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi, another Ansar Dine member, was sentenced to nine years for destroying the city’s ancient shrines.
