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International Criminal Court Prosecutes Person Responsible for Destruction of Cultural Heritage Sites in Mali
Earlier blogs on this site have described the destruction of important archaeological sites in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East at the hands of militants. In a breaking legal case before the International Criminal Court, an individual responsible for destroying UNESCO-protected shrines in Timbuktu, Mali accepted responsibility for his actions. There are likely diverse reasons for his decision, not the least of which is the incontrovertible evidence captured on camera, possibly genuine remorse and lastly, self interest regarding differing conditions of detention in Europe vs Niger or Mali. This case represents a number of firsts for global justice, not the least of which is that it is the first time that the destruction of cultural sites has been prosecuted as a war crime at the ICC. The trial of Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi may not deter cultural crimes in Syria or Iraq where many heritage sites have been wantonly destroyed but it is the first time that the ICC and UNESCO have united to deal with violent destruction of antiquities.
