War Crimes Charges For Demolishing Ancient Malian Shrines
Source: Wilmington Journal
The International Criminal Court will hear charges of war crimes against Ahmad al Faqi Al Mahdi for the deliberate destruction of religious or historical monuments in Timbuktu, Mali.
It is the first prosecution of this type by the court which is based in The Hague.
Legal proceedings against the suspected Islamist will begin in January.
Mr. Mahdi, a Malian citizen, is accused of ordering his followers to flatten at least nine tombs and the Sidi Yahia mosque that had each been carefully maintained and considered holy since in the Middle Ages. The monuments had been named World Heritage sites by the United Nations. The designation makes their destruction a criminal act.
Read more: http://wilmingtonjournal.com/war-crimes-charges-for-demolishing-ancient-malian-shrines/
