OMM Redaksiyası
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has found Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, one of the commanders of the former Seleka armed group, guilty of crimes against humanity.
Judges convicted him on four counts, including persecution and torture. According to the prosecution, Kani controlled a facility in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, where people suspected of supporting Francois Bozize were detained. The detainees were reportedly beaten and tortured.
Details of the ruling
ICC Judge Miatta Maria Samba said Kani and others had committed acts of violence as part of a plan targeting people considered supporters of Bozize.
Kani, who denied the charges, showed no visible reaction as the verdict was read. His sentence will be determined at a separate hearing.
First ruling on a Seleka member
Seleka, a predominantly Muslim rebel coalition, seized power in 2013 and ousted Francois Bozize during the Central African Republic’s protracted civil conflict. The predominantly Christian anti-Balaka armed groups subsequently emerged, and the violence intensified.
The ICC has been investigating crimes committed in the Central African Republic since 2014. The court has previously convicted two anti-Balaka commanders. Kani is the first former Seleka member convicted by the ICC.
Judges dismissed several war crimes charges against him. According to the ruling, the armed conflict had already ended when those acts were committed.
The ICC, established by the Rome Statute, prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Its cases concerning the Central African Republic form part of broader international efforts to establish accountability for violence committed during the country’s conflict.
