The International Criminal Court has convicted Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, a former Seleka militia leader from the Central African Republic, on four counts of crimes against humanity including persecution and torture.
The conviction, delivered on September 23, concerns the treatment of prisoners in Bangui who were seen as supporters of Francois Bozize, the country’s president at the time. Presiding judge Miatta Maria Samba said Said and others directed the beatings and torture of detainees under a plan aimed at perceived Bozize supporters.
Prosecutors had accused Said of operating a prison where people suspected of backing Bozize were beaten and tortured. The court’s finding establishes responsibility for crimes against humanity, which require conduct to form part of a systematic plan directed against a civilian population.
The judges dismissed several war crimes charges. They found that the armed conflict had ended by the time of the alleged offences, a finding that removed the legal basis for those charges. The dismissal does not alter the convictions for crimes against humanity.
Said’s punishment has yet to be decided. The court will hold a separate hearing to determine the sentence.
The case is the first in which the ICC has convicted a Seleka member. The court has previously convicted two leaders from the anti-Balaka militia.
The Seleka was a coalition of rebel groups and, alongside the anti-Balaka militia, has been a central actor in the Central African Republic’s prolonged conflict involving multiple armed groups. The ICC has investigated violence in the country since 2014 as part of efforts to establish accountability for atrocities committed during the conflict.
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