The International Criminal Court issued a landmark judgment. Ali Qusayb, one of the leaders of the dreaded Janjaweed militia, is serving 20 years for war crimes and crimes against humanity. This is the first ever sentence related to the bloody conflict in Darfur, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives two decades ago.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday handed down a 20-year prison sentence to a Sudanese paramilitary commander convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the civil war two decades ago. It is the first ICC verdict regarding crimes committed in Darfur, DPA reported, TASR writes.
- A Sudanese commander was sentenced to 20 years for war crimes in Darfur.
- The crimes included murder, rape and torture in 2003–04.
- Janjaweed militias are responsible for the deaths of 300,000 people in Darfur.
The defendant was one of the most important leaders of the Janjaweed Arab militia
Back in October, the court found Ali Muhammad Ali Abd ar-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, guilty of 27 counts, including rape, murder and torture, which were committed in Sudan’s Darfur region in 2003-04.
The court confirmed that the defendant was one of the most important leaders of the government-backed Janjaweed Arab militias, which are responsible for the murder of approximately 300,000 people from the Darfur region. The murders took place in 2003-06.
Ali Kushayb received a lesser sentence than he deserved. The ICC clarified that it took into account the high age of the convicted person – 76 years – as well as the fact that he voluntarily waived it to the court. The time he spent in custody will count towards his sentence. It is not yet known in which country he will serve it.
