The International Criminal Court (ICC) on April 28 delivered an order [12] on reparations for the victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz [13] in Timbuktu between April 2, 2012, and Jan. 29, 2013, when the Malian city was occupied by jihadist forces.
Presiding Judge Kimberly Prost, in ICC’s Trial Chamber X, delivered the Reparations Order [16] in the presence of Al Hassan and his defense team. Prost stated that the estimated number of victims amounted to 65,202. The Chamber ruled that "collective community-based reparations” were “appropriate to address the different type of harm suffered by the victims." Prost outlined that this mode of reparations would "reach large numbers of victims in a less resource intensive manner."
The Chamber emphasized the impact of Al Hassan's crimes on girls and women in particular. Prost stated: "Women and girls suffered particular moral and material harm… This should be reflected in the planning, design, and implementation of all socio-economic rehabilitation projects and initiatives."
In outlining costs, the Chamber ordered an estimated total of €4 million towards socio-economic and educational support programs, €1.2 million towards collective community-based psychological rehabilitation measures, €1.5 million for a limited individualized component, and €550,000 towards symbolic and satisfaction measures. The total liability for the harm caused to victims amounted to €7,250,000.
Al Hassan was convicted [14] in June 2024 for crimes against humanity, including "torture, persecution, and other inhumane acts," and the war crimes of "torture, outrages upon personal dignity, mutilation, cruel treatment and passing sentences without previous judgement pronounced by a regularly constituted court." The ICC sentenced Al Hassan to 10 years of imprisonment on November 2024.
Crimes against humanity are prohibited under Article 7 [17] of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and areconsidered [18] by the ICC as "among the most serious of crimes of concern to the international community as a whole." War crimes are prohibited under Article 8 [19] of the Rome Statute.
From JURIST [20], April 30. Used with permission.
Note: Al Hassan [21] is among 13 ICC convictions [22]. Another militant, Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi [23], pleaded guilty to cultural crimes in the destruction of Sufi shrines in Timbuktu.
