Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) claimed on Tuesday that a Malian Islamist rebel was instrumental in the “blatant persecution” of Timbuktu’s civilian population and was an enthusiastic participant in war crimes.
The prosecution claims that Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz was a key member of the Ansar Dine Islamist group that took control of Timbuktu in 2012.
Prosecutors allege that an Islamic police force led by Al Hassan committed horrific acts of terror against the people of Timbuktu, particularly against women, who were subjected to rape, forced marriages, and sexual slavery.
“What we are dealing with is a case of voluntary, should I even say enthusiastic and jubilant participation in a criminal activity shrouded in religion,” ICC deputy prosecutor Mame Niang said in his closing statement.
Following Timbuktu’s rebel takeover, Al Hassan’s attorneys argued that their client had been unfairly singled out for prosecution and portrayed him as someone attempting to restore order. He was an Ansar Dine supporter, they admit.
Ansar Dine sought to implement Islamic Sharia law throughout Mali after capturing Timbuktu. Al Qaeda-affiliated fighters in the so-called “City of 333 Saints” destroyed centuries-old earthen shrines and tombs that reflected the local Sufi interpretation of Islam with pickaxes, shovels, and hammers.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), the world’s only permanent war crimes tribunal, has been investigating the situation in Mali since 2012. The French and Malians were successful in driving the rebels back after a year of fighting.
