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ICC Unseals Arrest Warrant for Iyad Ag Ghaly, Convicts Al Hassan of Mali War Crimes

Jun 26, 2024, 10:55 AM

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has unsealed an arrest warrant for Iyad Ag Ghaly, the alleged leader of the extremist Ansar Dine Islamist group, over war crimes committed in Mali. The charges against Ghaly include murder, rape, sexual slavery, and persecution of women and girls on gender grounds during the group's control of Timbuktu from 2012 to 2013. Additionally, the ICC has convicted another al-Qaeda-linked leader, Al Hassan, of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Mali, specifically for atrocities committed in Timbuktu during the 2012 rebel takeover. The convicted individual was a central figure in the Islamic police of Timbuktu and was found guilty of torture, rape, and destroying religious buildings.