The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sentenced Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz, a Malian Islamist who enforced sharia law in Timbuktu during its 2012 occupation by militants, to 10 years in prison.
Judges described Al Hassan, 47, as a key figure in the Islamic police established by the Ansar Dine group, which imposed harsh punishments on the city’s population. He participated in or witnessed public floggings that left lasting psychological scars on victims and the community.
“This regime and these acts had a traumatic effect on the population of Timbuktu,” the court stated.
Dressed in traditional white West African attire, Al Hassan showed no emotion as the sentence was delivered. He had pleaded not guilty when his trial began in 2020.
In July, Al Hassan was convicted of multiple crimes against humanity and war crimes, including persecution and torture. He has been in ICC detention since March 2018, and the time already served will count toward his sentence. Given the ICC’s policy of early release after two-thirds of a sentence, he is unlikely to remain in custody for much longer.