Lenah
Follow us
Justice Hub
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us
No Result
View All Result
Justice Hub
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us
No Result
View All Result
Justice Hub
No Result
View All Result

Al Mahdi – Terrorist or Teacher?

October 4, 2015
in Justice Explained
0
0
Home Justice Explained
FacebookTwitterLinkedInWhatsappEmail

By Niklas Jakobsson

It’s a story that has captured the thoughts and imaginations of the international justice community. Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi has been the talk of The Hague for the last week, ever since he was transferred to the custody of the International Criminal Court on 26 September.

Last week saw him appearing before the Court for the first time, and his presence ignited yet another flurry of speculation. Al Mahdi – as he’s asked to be referred to by the Court – is accused of participating in the destruction of cultural sites during the violence in Timbuktu, Mali, in 2012.

Tweet.

The Court initially provided a limited amount of information, but the alleged affiliations of Al Mahdi leads us to believe that the Court will deal with its first ‘terrorist’.

Tweet.

But one man’s terrorist is another man’s teacher. In his initial appearance, Al Mahdi made no statements in relation to the crimes he’s accused of. Instead, he was more inclined to speak about his work as a teacher. However, there are people, and groups, expressing strong doubts about his teaching credentials.

Tweet.

During the initial appearance, judge Cuno Tarfusser repeatedly highlighted his will and intent for the proceedings to be swift. His lighthearted approach to the session was a welcome break from otherwise stiff and tense days in court.

Tweet.

The Court has been very quiet on how, and for what reasons, they brought Al Mahdi to The Hague in a surprisingly quick manner. This has created a lot of speculation about the intentions of the Office of the Prosecutor for seemingly expediting the transfer of Al Mahdi. If we’re to believe information from certain credible international justice commentators, the events could be taken from any bestselling Tom Clancy thriller.

Tweet.

With over a month of substantial developments at the ICC, we’re almost starting to expect the unexpected from Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s office. The arrest warrant and transfer of Al Mahdi is just another in a long line of curveballs thrown at those following the work of the Court.

The confirmation of charges hearing for Al Mahdi is set for the 18 January, 2016, and by the statements made by the OTP in court, it seems as though they’re ready and roaring to go. It even got to the point that the defence had to ask the OTP to postpone its start of disclosure of evidence.

So as we prepare to expect the unexpected, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Court falls back into a period of few developments as the winter rapidly approaches. But until then, let’s hope for more of the unexpected.

So…

  • What strikes you as most surprising in the Al Mahdi saga?
  • Should the OTP expand the charges to involve more than cultural crimes?
  • Do you believe that the Court will be able to stick to the expedited timeline?

Popa Matumula is a Tanzanian-based cartoonist who works for Cartoon Movement. 

The Weekly Hubble features the most popular or controversial international justice story of the past week and reactions on social media to the news. 

Tags: ICC (International Criminal Court)Mali
ShareTweetShareSendSend

Justice Hub

Justice Hub is an online platform connecting conversations about international justice.

Related Posts

A legal path to justice emerges for Myanmar
Featured

A legal path to justice emerges for Myanmar

by Sean Bain
October 7, 2018
0
56

On September 27 a partial but significant foundation was laid to provide accountability for gross human rights violations in Myanmar,...

Read more
Lawfare: Iran-US nuclear deal row to play out in Hague Courtroom (Part I)

Lawfare: Iran-US nuclear deal row to play out in Hague Courtroom (Part I)

September 26, 2018
56
A trial for history: Thomas Kwoyelo in Uganda

A trial for history: Thomas Kwoyelo in Uganda

September 25, 2018
67
Celebrating women in peacekeeping

Celebrating women in peacekeeping

September 24, 2018
55
Hague court could give Iran a moral victory over the US (Part 3)

Hague court could give Iran a moral victory over the US (Part 3)

September 22, 2018
75

Justice Hub

Justice Hub is an online platform connecting conversations about international justice.

Justice Hub

Justice Hub is an online platform aimed at a worldwide audience of 18-35 year olds, especially in countries where people are looking for sustainable and innovative solutions to problems of justice, peace and security. Justice can feel too abstract, too often owned by experts. We make the conversations lively and accessible.

Follow Us

Quick Links

  • Featured
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

 

  HPPJ Forum Login
Creative Commons Licence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
No Result
View All Result
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us

© 2018 Justice Hub

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

*By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Login

Lost password?
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.

REPUBLISHING TERMS

You may republish this article online or in print under our Creative Commons license. You may not edit or shorten the text, you must attribute the article to Aeon and you must include the author’s name in your republication.

If you have any questions, please email nsharafa@gmail.com

License

Creative Commons License AttributionCreative Commons Attribution
Al Mahdi – Terrorist or Teacher?