ICC / AL MAHDI

In a landmark case for the International Criminal Court, Ahmad al Faqi Al Mahdi pleaded guilty for destroying historical and religious monuments in Timbuktu, Mali, which constitutes a war crime. ICC / FILE

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:32
• Production Date: 22 August 2016
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT - ICC
• Subject Topical: CULTURAL HERITAGE
• Geographic Subject: MALI
• MAMS Id: 1694704
• Parent Id: 1694704
• Alternate Title: unifeed160822b

Description

STORY: ICC / AL MAHDI
TRT: 1:32
SOURCE: ICC / MINUSMA / WORLD BANK
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / NATS

DATELINE: 22 AUGUST 2016, THE HAGUE NETHERLANDS / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – ICC – THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS

1.Wide shot, exterior, International Criminal Court
2. Close up, International Criminal Court sign

22 AUGUST 2016, THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS

3. Wide shot, court room
4. Close up, Al Mahdi
5. Wide shot, dais and judges
6. Med shot, Al Mahdi standing up
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmad al Faqi Al Mahdi, Defendant:
“From this place, it is with deep regret and with great pain I had to enter a guilty plea and all the charges brought against me are accurate and correct. I am really sorry and I regret all the damage that my actions have caused.”
8. Med shot, Al Mahdi sitting down

FILE – DATE UNKNOWN - TIMBUKTU, MALI

9. Pan, Timbuktu, Mali
10. Various shots, Timbuktu views

FILE - WORLD BANK / MINUSMA - 5 NOVEMBER 2013, TIMBUKTU, MALI

11. Med shot, minaret of the Djingareyber mosque
12. Various shots, manuscripts

Storyline

In a landmark case for the International Criminal Court, Ahmad al Faqi Al Mahdi pleaded guilty today (22 Aug) for destroying historical and religious monuments in Timbuktu, Mali, which constitutes a war crime.

Al Mahdi, who reportedly led a group of radicals with links to al-Qaeda, expressed his “deep regret”, adding he was “really sorry” for the damage his actions have caused.

This is the first time the International Criminal Court is trying a case exclusively on the crime of intentionally directing attacks against cultural property and it's also the first ICC case where the defendant made an admission of guilt.

The trial is expected to last one week. Al Mahdi faces a maximum sentence of 30 years imprisonment, but prosecutors say they will seek a sentence of nine to eleven years.

According to UNESCO, the mausoleums of Timbuktu have long been places of pilgrimage for the people of Mali and neighbouring countries. They were widely believed to protect the city from danger. The oldest of these edifices were built in the 13th century. Sixteen of them are inscribed on the World Heritage List and 14 were destroyed in 2012, representing a tragic loss for local communities.