The trial of Malian jihadist Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud was adjourned for two weeks after one of the judges hearing the case requested for compassionate leave.
The International Criminal Court issued a statement on Wednesday saying Judge Tomoko Akane had requested for time away to be with her father who was terminally ill.
The ICC said the adjournment was “necessary and inevitable” considering the difficult circumstances faced by Judge Akane.
“On 17 August 2020, Judge Tomoko Akane informed the rest of the Chamber that her father, who lives abroad, is at the end-stage of a terminal illness. She therefore requested the adjournment of the hearing scheduled to start on 25 August 2020 so she can be with her father during these final stages and to participate in his funeral.”
The trial of Al Hassan, who has been charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity, rape and sexual slavery, began in mid-July. The trial had proceeded to the stage of evidentiary hearings.
Al Hassan allegedly committed the offences during the occupation of Timbuktu by radical Islamist groups who exploited the Tuareg rebellion in 2012.
Al Hassan is the second jihadist, after Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi, to be tried at the ICC for the destruction of the Timbuktu monuments.
