International Criminal Justice Rendered Concerning the Attack Against Timbuktu Mausoleums and Mosque: Focus on Religion-Related Considerations

The first International Criminal Court (ICC) judgment for attacking protected religious and historical sites was delivered in 2016, convicting Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi of war crimes related to the destruction of ten Timbuktu mausoleums and a mosque during Mali's armed conflict. The case, involving an Ansar Dine (AQIM-affiliated) attack between June and July 2012, marked a landmark in international law for its focus on religion-related considerations. Al-Mahdi was sentenced to nine years imprisonment, with the study analyzing legal elements of the war crime, sentencing criteria, and the religious-historic significance of the sites. The reconstruction of these UNESCO-listed structures concluded in mid-2015.

Pérez-León-Acevedo, J.-P. (2017). International Criminal Justice Rendered Concerning the Attack Against Timbuktu Mausoleums and Mosque: Focus on Religion-Related Considerations. Oxford Journal of Law and Religion, 6(1), 180–186. https://doi.org/10.1093/ojlr/rww077