The International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] opened the trial of Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi [case information, PDF] Monday for the destruction of historical and religious monuments in Timbuktu.
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In 2012, the world witnessed the tragic destruction of the mausoleums in Timbuktu – one of Africa’s spiritual and intellectual capitals in the 15th and 16th centuries – inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
“Culture is who we are”, she said.
The court’s recent enforcement of the statute could set a precedent for similar cases like ISIL’s destruction of the ancient city of Palmyra a year ago.
Al-Madhi was a leading member of Ansar dine, a mainly Tuareg group which at the time held sway over Mali’s desert north under a version of Islamic law which viewing such shrines as idolatrous. Among them were images of Al Mahdi, at times with a Kalashnikov rifle slung over his shoulder, directing the attacks, which reduced the historic structures to piles of rubble.
Mahdi said all the charges brought against him were accurate and asked forgiveness from the Malian people for his actions. Judges will then deliberate on Al Mahdi’s guilt and possible sentence. Certainly the 15th- and 16th-century works at Timbuktu fit this objective.
Mahdi is also the first person to be charged with war crimes arising out of the conflict in Mali. He faced up to 30 years in prison, but his attorneys, The Guardian reported, struck an agreement with the prosecutor’s office for a sentence of between nine and 11 years.
This first trial at an worldwide tribunal for the destruction of historic monuments and buildings sends a strong message on the determination of the global community to ensure that this type of crime is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, not only in Mali but everywhere in the World. “They were historic monuments that did not constitute military targets”.
He added Muslims should not get involved in such acts that he had been as it does no good to humanity.
Court officials said the trial would proceed despite his confession, as the judges still needed to be satisfied he was guilty.
Nine medieval mausoleums and a mosque in Timbuktu were razed four years ago by a band of pickaxe-wielding Islamist militants.
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Though generally hailing the outcome, Daniels noted that one potential “cause for concern” is that groups looking for a global platform and worldwide publicity may increase their attacks on antiquity in an effort to gain the attention of the ICC.
