The Malian government has strongly opposed the early release of Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud, urging the International Criminal Court (ICC) to dismiss the appeal as both flawed and unjustified.
This comes as the ICC Appeals Chamber reviews a request submitted on 12 March 2025 by Al Hassan’s defence team under Article 110 of the Rome Statute, seeking a reduction in his ten-year prison sentence.
Al Hassan, arrested in April 2017 and transferred to The Hague, was convicted in June 2024 of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Timbuktu between April 2012 and January 2013.
He was found guilty of eight serious offences, including torture, persecution, sexual slavery, and inhumane acts, and was sentenced in November 2024, with time spent in pre-trial detention accounted for.
According to the Rome Statute, convicted individuals may request a review of their sentence after serving two-thirds of the term. Al Hassan’s lawyers argue that his pre-trial detention meets this threshold and justifies early release in the absence of an appeal.
However, Mali has firmly rejected this line of reasoning. In its submission to the ICC, the government criticised the process for lacking proper consultation with the victims and contended that the legal grounds for sentence reduction remain unmet.
Authorities in Bamako argue that Al Hassan has shown no remorse and has made no effort to aid reconciliation or contribute to peace in the still-volatile northern regions of the country.
