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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (CN) — Sentencing hearings for two former Central African Republic officials opened at the International Criminal Court on Wednesday after judges rejected a complaint from the pair that moving forward with sentencing hearings prior to their conviction was prejudicial.
Prosecutors asked The Hague-based court for 20- and 22-year sentences, respectively, for Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona and Alfred Yékatom. The men are charged with multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for leading Christian militia members and directing attacks on Muslim civilians.
“Serious crimes demand serious punishment,” prosecutor Kweku Vanderpuye said in his opening remarks.
Closing arguments in the case were held in December and the court has not yet reached a verdict on the guilt of either man. Typically, sentencing hearings are held after a conviction at the ICC. “This hearing will take place without prejudice to the chamber’s decision on guilt or innocence,” the ICC said in a statement.
In 2016, the court convicted and sentenced Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi simultaneously but he pleaded guilty to destroying UNESCO-declared treasures in the historic city of Timbuktu after civil war broke out in Northern Mali in early 2012.
The trial, which began in 2021, was hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic and judges decided to issue the verdict and the sentence at the same time in the “interests of justice and expeditiousness.”
According to the prosecution, Ngaïssona, a wealthy businessman, was part of the inner circle of ex-President François Bozizé, who was ousted from power in a coup by pro-Muslim groups known as the Seleka. Ngaïssona described himself as the spokesperson of the so-called anti-Balaka forces, Christian militias that began in opposition to the Seleka.
“I do not recognize myself in the charges,” Ngaïssona told the court after the 16 counts of war crimes and 16 counts of crimes against humanity against him were read aloud at the start of the trial in 2021.
Prosecutors say a group led by Yékatom used grenades, machetes and guns to attack Muslim traders at a market, killing around a dozen people. The group then destroyed the city’s mosque and burned houses belonging to Muslims, forcing civilians to flee. He is charged with 10 counts of war crimes and 11 counts of crimes against humanity.
Both men pleaded not guilty to all charges and have asked that, if convicted, their sentences are limited to the six years they have both already spent in detention during the trial.
Lawyers representing the victims have asked for both men to serve 30 years in jail. “All the victims that we represent clearly indicated that the two accused persons should receive a large sentence so as to deter anyone who might commit similar crimes in the Central African Republic,” Marie Édith Douzima Lawson, who represents some of the 1,965 official victims in the case.
Hearings will continue Thursday.
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