The International Criminal Court (ICC) has convicted al-Hassan ag Abdoul Aziz ag Mohamed ag Mahmoud, the former head of the Islamic police in Timbuktu, Mali, for crimes against humanity.
He was found guilty of forcing hundreds of women into sexual slavery.
Prosecutors detailed how al-Hassan led a “reign of terror” in Timbuktu after its 2012 takeover by the al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansar Dine group.
He faced charges of torture, rape, sexual slavery, and other inhumane acts.
Al-Hassan was also accused of aiding in the destruction of ancient mausoleums in Timbuktu. After French troops helped liberate the city from jihadists, Malian authorities handed him over to the ICC in 2018.
Ansar Dine, one of several Islamist groups that exploited an ethnic Tuareg uprising, seized control of cities in northern Mali. As police chief, al-Hassan enforced harsh punishments on Timbuktu residents, with women being lashed for minor infractions like not wearing gloves at the market, according to evidence presented by ICC prosecutors.
