Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz was convicted in June of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the period 2012-2013, when Ansar al-Din ruled Timbuktu.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sentenced a key member of a Malian armed group to 10 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed more than a decade ago in the city of Timbuktu.
Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz was found guilty in June of charges including torture, rape and sexual slavery, as well as destruction of religious and historical buildings, while serving as police chief after the Ansar al-Din group, linked to Al Qaeda took control of Timbuktu in 2012 for almost a year.
Judge Kimberly Prost ruled Wednesday that the 47-year-old contributed to the government of Ansar al-Dine, whose actions had a “traumatic effect on the population of Timbuktu.”
The people “lived in an atmosphere of fear, violence, oppression, [and] “The humiliation” and that period “remains present in the minds of victims of deep-rooted trauma,” he said.
The sentence “is proportional to the seriousness of the crimes and the individual circumstances and guilt of Mr. Al Hassan,” he added.
“It appropriately reflects the international community's strong condemnation of the crimes committed by him and recognizes the significant harm and suffering caused to the victims,” Prost continued.
Dressed in traditional all-white West African robes and with his head wrapped in a turban, Al Hassan showed no emotion after the judge read his sentence. But he listened attentively with his hands folded in his lap.
He was later taken away by ICC security guards.
Among the crimes committed by Al Hassan were “cruel treatment as a war crime” for whipping a person, “mutilation” for amputating a hand, and “torture as a crime against humanity and a war crime.”
The Hague-based court also heard that during Ansar al-Dine's rule, women were arrested and then raped while in detention.
There was also brutal flogging in the central square in front of crowds, including children, as well as a public amputation with a machete.
However, Al Hassan was acquitted in June of the war crimes of rape and sexual slavery, as well as the crime against humanity of forced marriage.
Although the court ruled that certain crimes of sexual violence had been committed during the period, he was not found responsible for them.
