Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) convicted rebel commander Mahamat Said Abdel Kani on Wednesday of crimes against humanity for abusing and torturing prisoners at a detention facility in the Central African Republic.
Said, wearing blue jeans and a sweater, remained expressionless for most of the hourlong hearing in The Hague as presiding Judge Miatta Maria Samba described the inhumane conditions detainees endured at the prison in the capital, Bangui.
During the trial, witnesses described cramped cells with walls marked by “bullet holes and blood” and said they were whipped “until they soiled themselves,” Samba said. Other victims testified that they were confined in a windowless room under the floorboards of Said’s office.
The charges stemmed from fighting more than a decade ago between the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels who seized power from then-President François Bozizé, and a mainly Christian militia called the anti-Balaka.
Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch, called the conviction a “significant milestone in the fight against impunity,” but warned that the country still faces serious challenges.
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