BRUSSELS, Dec 9 (KUNA) -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) sentenced on Tuesday former Janjaweed militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd Al-Rahman (Ali Kushayb) to 20 years in prison after convicting him on 27 charges, including war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur between 2003 and 2004.
Presiding Judge Joanna Korner said during the sentencing hearing that Abd Al-Rahman had actively participated in systematic attacks and had "personally carried out acts of beating and torture, some with an axe," in addition to issuing direct orders for executions.
She explained that evidence proved he played a key role in a "campaign of extermination, humiliation and displacement," while noting that the court had taken into account several mitigating circumstances, including his advanced age, good conduct in detention, and his voluntary surrender in 2020.
Korner indicated that the court "would have imposed a higher sentence were it not for the mitigating circumstances," adding that the time Abd al-Rahman has spent in detention since June 2020 will be deducted from the total sentence.
She stated that the decision aims to achieve "both deterrence and justice," emphasizing that deterrence is "particularly necessary given the current situation in Sudan." Ali Kushayb, considered one of the leading figures among Arab tribes, was the principal commander of the Janjaweed militia. Before that, he was involved in military activity and served in the Central Reserve Police popularly known as "Abu Tira" a force used by the former regime under President Omar Al Bashir to confront rebel movements in the Darfur region. (end) arn.mt