(The Hague) A war crimes suspect in the Central African Republic detained his opponents in a hole under his desk and tortured them until they begged to be killed, the court’s attorney general said on Tuesday international criminal justice (ICC).
Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, 51, an alleged commander of the Muslim-dominated Seleka rebel coalition, which was responsible for widespread violence in the country in 2013, is accused of running two detention centers during the conflict.
The Hague-based ICC is holding hearings this week to determine whether the prosecutor’s 14 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Mr Said need to be confirmed, which would pave the way to a trial. Magistrates have 60 days to make their decision.
In the hole “
According to the prosecutor, Mr. Said personally mistreated people favorable to the former Central African President François Bozizé, ousted from power by the Seleka.
“People have been detained in appalling conditions with no respect for their humanity,” said ICC Attorney General Karim Khan, who was making his first appearance before the court since taking office in June.
The prosecution showed a photo of an underground cell nicknamed “the hole”, covered with wooden planks and a desk, during a hearing.
“Above them (the prisoners) was Mr. Said, the area above was his office,” Khan said.
“Literally standing on their heads, trampling on their dignity, trampling on their rights, he cannot plead ignorance,” he continued.
The prisoners were handcuffed for weeks and were subjected to fake drownings and forced to wear balaclavas filled with pepper, the prosecution said.
Mr. Said was surrendered in January by the authorities in Bangui to the ICC, on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by one of the judges of the jurisdiction in 2019.
Two former Central African warlords, Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona and Alfred Yekatom, who led anti-balaka militias – mostly Christian and animist, founded by Mr. Bozizé to fight the Séléka – are currently on trial by the ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity.