The International Criminal Court (ICC) has convicted the former head of the Islamic police in Mali’s historic city of Timbuktu for crimes against humanity and forcing hundreds of women into sexual slavery.
Prosecutors say al-Hassan, Abdoul Aziz, Mohamed and Mahmoud led a “reign of terror” in Timbuktu after the city was overrun by the al-Qaeda-linked group Ansar Dine in 2012.
He was accused of torture, rape, sexual slavery and other inhumane acts.
He is also said to have assisted in the destruction of ancient mausoleums in Timbuktu.
Hassan was handed over to the ICC by Malian authorities in 2018 – five years after French troops helped liberate Timbuktu from jihadists.
Ansar Dine was one of several Islamist groups that exploited an ethnic Tuareg uprising to take over towns in northern Mali.
In his role as police chief, Hassan oversaw punishments against city residents.
Women could be punished on the spot with lashes for breaking rules such as not wearing gloves in the market, according to evidence found by ICC prosecutors.
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