APA-Bamako (Mali) Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud is standing trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Mali’s Timbuktu.
In a little over a month, the Malian war crimes suspect will find out his fate. He is being prosecuted on several counts, including war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed between 2012 and 2013.
The Trial Chamber responsible for deciding his fate is made up of Judge Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua (presiding judge), Judge Tomoko Akane and Judge Kimberly Prost. The three judges ensure that the trial is fair and that the rights of both parties and the victims are respected.
The arrest warrant for Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud was issued on March 27, 2018, and he was handed over to the ICC on March 31 of the same year.
His trial had opened on July 14 and 15, 2020. Some 50 oral witnesses were called by the prosecution at this stage, and 22 defense witnesses appeared. The 2196 legal representatives of the victims in the case also called two witnesses. On February 8, 2023, the ICC Trial Chamber closed the evidence in this case.
Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud is accused of being an alleged member of Ansar Eddine and the de facto head of the Islamic Police.
In this capacity, he was allegedly involved in the work of the Timbuktu Islamic Court. The crimes of which he is accused of include torture, rape, sexual slavery, forced marriages, persecution and the intentional destruction of religious and historical monuments.
He is the second Malian to be tried at the ICC after Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi, who was sentenced in 2016 to 9 years imprisonment for his role in the destruction of Timbuktu’s mausoleums before being released in September 2022.
The latter’s sentence was reduced to two years for admitting his wrongdoing, apologising and demonstrating good behaviour during his period of imprisonment.
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