The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sentenced the former leader of the Islamist police in Mali’s historic city of Timbuktu to 10 years in prison for war crimes.
Prosecutors said al-Hassan ag Abdoul Aziz ag Mohamed ag Mahmoud led a “reign of terror” in the city after it was overrun by the al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine group in 2012. .
He was convicted of torture in June this year, overseeing public amputations with machetes and brutal beatings of people, including children.
Hassan, 47, was acquitted of rape and sexual slavery, as well as destroying ancient tombs in Timbuktu.
Hassan looked expressionless after his verdict was read on Wednesday, at the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands.
Presiding judge Kimberly Prost said the prison sentence was “commensurate with the severity of the crime, personal circumstances and Mr. Al Hassan’s culpability”.
She added: “It fully reflects the international community’s strong condemnation of the crimes he committed and acknowledges the significant harm and suffering caused to the victims.” .
Some human rights groups expressed disappointment that Hassan was charged but later acquitted of gender-related crimes.
According to AFP news agency, the court heard that several women were arrested and then raped in detention camps under Ansar Dine’s rule.
The ICC ruled that crimes of sexual violence had occurred, but Hassan was not responsible for them.
Hassan has 30 days to appeal the verdict and compensation to the victims will be resolved on time.
He was handed over to the ICC by Malian authorities in 2018 – five years after French troops helped liberate Timbuktu from jihadists.
Ansar Dine is one of several Islamist rebel groups taking advantage of the Tuareg uprising to take over cities in northern Mali.
Another Muslim rebel leader who destroyed ancient temples in Timbuktu was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2016.
Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi admitted leading gunmen who destroyed historic mausoleums at a world heritage site in Mali in 2012.
Timbuktu was a major center of Islamic learning from the 13th to 17th centuries and was added to the UNESCO world heritage list in 1988.
