Judgement in Case of Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud by International Criminal Court ‘Significant Milestone’ in Accountability, Secretary-General Says

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Secretary-General takes note of the judgment issued today by the International Criminal Court against Mr. Al Hassan. The Trial Chamber found Al Hassan guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes against the civilian population, including by way of persecution on religious grounds, torture, outrages upon personal dignity, mutilation and arbitrary detention and sentencing, which took place between April 2012 and January 2013 in Timbuktu, Mali.

The judgment is another significant milestone in accountability and a step forward in efforts to bring justice to the victims of crimes and reaffirms that impunity will not be tolerated.

The Secretary-General’s thoughts are with the victims of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Timbuktu, Mali, for which Mr. Al Hassan has been found guilty.