ICC Al Mahdi trial to open on 22 August 2016: Practical information

08:06 PM August, 11 2016

Sudanese Online
ICC Public Affairs Unit-Hague- Netherlands.
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Media advisory: 11.08.2016



Situation: Mali
Case: The Prosecutor v. Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi

The trial in the case The Prosecutor v. Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi is scheduled to open on 22 August 2016 at 09:00 (The Hague local time), at the seat of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague (Netherlands). Mr Al Mahdi is accused of the war crime consisting in the alleged destruction of historical and religious monuments in Timbuktu (Mali), between around 30 June 2012 and 11 July 2012.

The trial will be held before Trial Chamber VIII, composed of Judge Raul C. Pangalangan (Presiding Judge), Judge Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua, and Judge Bertram Schmitt. Due to Mr Al Mahdi’s announced intentions to make an admission of guilt, the trial is expected to last for about a week, after which the judges will deliberate and in due course pronounce a decision on the guilt or innocence of the accused and the possible sentence. If the accused does not plead guilty at the opening of the trial, the hearings will be reported to another date.

At the opening of the trial, the accused will be read an extract of the confirmed charge against him and will be asked to confirm if he understands it. If an admission of guilt is indeed made as expected, the Chamber will conduct a short inquiry in order to determine whether: (a) the accused understands the nature and consequences of the admission and (b) the admission is voluntarily made after sufficient consultation with Defence counsel.

The Office of the Prosecutor will have three hours to present its case and a maximum of nine hours for the examination of its three witnesses who are staff members or experts. The Legal Representative of victims will then have one hour to present their views and concerns, and the Defence will have a one hour and a half to present submissions. In addition, the judges have agreed to the introduction at a later stage of two Defence witnesses’ statements in writing relating to the possible sentence.

The parties and participants’ presentations will cover both topics related to the trial and the possible sentence, since the judgment and the possible sentence will be issued together in due course following the hearings.

Background: On 24 March 2016, ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I confirmed against Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi the war crime charge regarding the destruction of historical and religious monuments in Timbuktu (Mali), and committed Mr Al Mahdi to trial. On 1 March 2016, Mr Al Mahdi explicitly expressed before ICC judges and in the presence of his lawyers, his wish to plead guilty. The warrant of arrest against him was issued by ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I on 18 September 2015 and he was surrendered to the ICC on 26 September 2015. Mr Al Mahdi is in ICC custody.


أبرز عناوين سودانيز اون لاين صباح اليوم الموافق 11 أغسطس 2016


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