Canadian consensus on immigration under threat, but not gone: immigration minister
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Canada's long-held consensus on immigration is under threat, but has not disappeared.
The International Criminal Court on Wednesday convicted an al Qaeda-linked extremist leader of the religious persecution and torture of prisoners in Mali in 2012-13 when he headed the Islamic police in the historic desert city of Timbuktu.
Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud sat stoically while the decision finding him guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity was read out at the court in the Dutch city of The Hague. He faces up to life in prison when the sentence is decided at a later date.
Al Hassan was acquitted of several charges focusing on the abuse of women. The three-judge panel found that rape and sexual slavery did occur while Al Hassan's group controlled Timbuktu, but that Al Hassan couldn鈥檛 be connected to those crimes.
The court found the 47-year old Malian was a key member of Ansar Dine, an Islamic extremist group with links to al Qaeda that held power at the time.
鈥淭he inhabitants had no other choice than to adapt their lives and lifestyle to the version of Sharia law imposed on them by Ansar Dine,鈥 presiding judge Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua said, speaking in French.
Judges agreed there was sufficient evidence to convict Al Hassan of charges including torture, outrages upon personal dignity and cruel treatment. They found that prisoners were abused by being kept in tiny, disgusting cells and repeatedly flogged.
鈥淎l Hassan himself inflicted at least 34 and 37 lashes" on two male victims, the Congolese judge said.
Defense lawyer Melinda Taylor told judges during the trial that Al Hassan's position in the Islamic police force obliged him to respect and carry out decisions made by an Islamic tribunal. "This is what the police around the world do," Taylor said.
Women and girls suffered in particular under Ansar Dine鈥檚 repressive regime, facing corporal punishment and imprisonment, the court鈥檚 then-chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said at the start of Al Hassan鈥檚 trial nearly four years ago.
In Timbuktu, victims of Ansar Dine crimes were hoping for compensation, which would likely come only after sentencing. 鈥淲e are waiting and hoping for a judgment that will give us justice,鈥 said Yehia Hamma Ciss茅, president of a group of victims鈥 associations in the Timbuktu region.
The court made a reparation order following the 2016 conviction of another Ansar Dine member, Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi. He was sentenced to nine years鈥 imprisonment for attacking nine mausoleums and a mosque door in Timbuktu in 2012.
A French-led military operation in 2013 forced Al Hassan and others from power.
Mali, along with its neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, has for over a decade battled an insurgency fought by armed groups, including some allied with al Qaeda and the Islamic State group. Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russia鈥檚 mercenary units for security assistance instead.
Col. Assimi Goita, who took charge in Mali after a second coup in 2021, promised to return the country to democracy in early 2024. But in September, the junta canceled elections scheduled for February 2024 indefinitely, citing the need for further technical preparations.
The pronouncement of the verdict in Al Hassan's case was delayed by nearly six months after the presiding judge fell ill in January.
Last week, the court unsealed an arrest warrant for another Malian man accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Iyad Ag Ghaly, also known as Abou Fadl, is suspected of leading Ansar Dine and prosecutors have charged him with murder, rape, sexual slavery and persecution of women and girls on gender grounds.
Associated Press journalist Baba Ahmed in Bamako, Mali, and Mike Corder in The Hague contributed to this report.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Canada's long-held consensus on immigration is under threat, but has not disappeared.
In the final part of a four-part investigation into the seedy underbelly of the lucrative clothing donation bin industry, CTV W5's Jon Woodward and Joseph Loiero look at how some cities are trying to rein in the chaos.
A Quebec mother of six, once detained in northeast Syria, has died while waiting for repatriation. The Canadian woman was known only by her initials F.J.
If Canadians could vote in the U.S. election, a majority would choose to send Kamala Harris to the White House.
A former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model鈥痠s alleging鈥痶hat former President Donald Trump groped her in the 1990s, in what she believes was an attempt to show off for Jeffrey鈥疎pstein.
The federal government is giving Canada Post the ability to store and transport restricted firearms in new regulations that bring the retail gun buyback program one step closer to beginning.
Diverse firefly species lit up the night during the late Mesozoic period, scientists have confirmed.
Within a year of dating, 31-year-old Siara Rouzer crossed a major relationship milestone. The guy she was seeing was no longer a boyfriend but her partner.
From apparitions to zombies, this season offers up a variety of scary movies, and film critic Richard Crouse has put together a list to help you find the perfect horror movie to watch on Halloween.
A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.
Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.