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Al Mahdi sentenced to nine years in jail for destroying cultural heritage

Xinhua, September 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

The trial chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Tuesday convicted Islamic extremist Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi to nine years imprisonment for orchestrating the destruction of historic buildings in Timbuktu, Mali.

The judges unanimously issued the landmark judgment. The Al Mahdi case was the first ICC case about the destruction of buildings dedicated to religion and historical monuments and on Tuesday Al Mahdi also became the first to be convicted for the attacks on cultural heritage.

After the ICC issued his arrest warrant, Al Mahdi was surrendered to ICC detention one year ago. Wearing a grey suit and striped tie, Al Mahdi heard his verdict on Tuesday in the courtroom in The Hague. Last month he already pleaded guilty and said to be "really sorry" for his actions and to have entered the guilty plea with "deep regret and great pain".

Al Mahdi was held responsible for intentionally directing attacks against historic monuments and buildings dedicated to religion, including nine mausoleums and one mosque in Timbuktu, Mali, committed between about June 30, 2012 and July 11, 2012.

According to the ICC, Al Mahdi was a member of Ansar Eddine, an Islamist group associated with Al Qaeda that occupied Timbuktu for months. He allegedly was head of the Hisbah section, that enforced strict Islamic law in the city. Endit