ICC sentences al-Qaida-linked former police chief to 10 years for war crimes in Mali

THE HAGUE -- The International Criminal Court sentenced an al-Qaida-linked extremist leader to 10 years in prison on Wednesday for war crimes and crimes against humanity carried out when he headed the Islamic police in the historic desert city of Timbuktu in the west African country of Mali.

Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud was convicted of torture, religious persecution and other inhumane acts in June. Judges found he was a “key figure” in a reign of terror after Islamic extremist rebels overran Timbuktu in 2012.

“This regime and these acts had a traumatic impact on the population of Timbuktu,” presiding judge Kimberly Prost told The Hague-based court

Dressed head to toe in white traditional robes, Al Hassan was expressionless as he listened to the sentence being read out.

The 48-year-old was a member of Ansar Dine, an Islamic extremist group linked to al-Qaida that held power in northern Mali at the time, and served as the ancient city’s police chief. A French-led military operation in 2013 forced the group from power, but rebel elements have continued to stage attacks on Malian and international forces.

To the disappointment of many human rights groups, Al Hassan was acquitted of several charges focusing on the abuse of women. The three-judge panel found that rape and sexual slavery did occur while his group controlled Timbuktu, but that Al Hassan couldn’t be connected to those crimes.

The court did find there was sufficient evidence to convict Al Hassan of charges including torture, outrages upon personal dignity and cruel treatment. They found that prisoners were abused by being kept in tiny, filthy cells and repeatedly flogged.

Both sides have appealed.

Al Hassan denied he was guilty. His defense lawyer Melinda Taylor told judges during the trial that Al Hassan’s position in the Islamic police force obliged him to respect and carry out decisions made by an Islamic tribunal. “This is what the police around the world do,” Taylor said.

The 10-year sentence will be reduced by time served. Al Hassan has been in ICC custody since March 2018, leaving him with around 3.5 years remaining.

The trial is the second case at the ICC linked to Ansar Dine’s brutal occupation of Timbuktu. Another member of the group, Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi, was convicted in 2016 and sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment for attacking nine mausoleums and a mosque door in the city in 2012.

Mali, along with its neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, has for over a decade battled an insurgency fought by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida or the Islamic State group. Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russia’s mercenary units for security assistance instead.

On Tuesday, an Australian mining company announced it would pay $160 million to the country’s ruling junta to resolve a tax dispute, more than a week after the company’s CEO and two employees were detained. The arrest is the latest controversy in Mali’s foreign-dominated and crucial mining sector, increasingly scrutinized by the military authorities. Four employees of a Canadian company were also detained in September.