Prosecutors seek 20 years for Central African rebel commander convicted of torture

Some survivors want Mahamat Said Abdel Kani to spend as many as 30 years in prison. Others are leaving his sentence up to the judges.THE HAGUE, Netherlands (CN) — Thirteen years after rebel fighters turned a police headquarters in the Central African Republic into a torture site, prosecutors asked judges Tuesday to give the commander who ran it at least 20 years in prison.The International Criminal Court opened two days of sentencing arguments for Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, convicted in September on four counts of crimes against humanity, including torture and persecution, and acquitted on three war crimes counts. Prosecutors seek a single prison term for all four convictions. Victims’ lawyers want a stiff sentence, while the defense seeks leniency, citing Said’s health and prospects for rehabilitation.The Hague-based court prosecutes individuals for crimes such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity when national authorities are unwilling or unable to pursue the cases.The Seleka, a predominantly Muslim rebel coalition from the Central African Republic’s northeast, demanded a voice in government and an end to the region’s neglect. Its fighters launched an offensive in December 2012. A January peace deal collapsed, and by March the rebels had seized Bangui, the capital, and President François Bozizé had fled.Said took charge at Bangui’s anti-banditry police headquarters the following month. His fighters rounded up suspected Bozizé supporters, held some underground and bound others with their hands and feet behind their backs. Judges could not establish Said’s rank in the wider coalition but found he ordered arrests and helped mistreat prisoners.The war crimes counts required prosecutors to tie the abuses to an armed conflict. A majority of judges found that Bozizé’s defeat ended the fighting in March and that the forces that later opposed the Seleka did not fight it during the period covered by the charges.The defense argues in writing that Said played a limited role and that the relatively few victims and the absence of murder or rape charges makes the case less grave.Prosecutors point to Said’s control of the fighters at the compound. “We risk not seeing the impact the crimes have had on their family members and their extended communities,” senior trial lawyer Holo Makwaia said.Victims’ lawyer Sarah Pellet told judges some survivors still live with chronic pain and others fear being arrested again. Some want Said to serve as many as 30 years. Others leave the decision to the judges. “No sentence can give back to these victims the lives they would have led had these crimes never been committed,” Pellet said.Central African authorities referred the situation to the court in 2014. Judges issued a sealed arrest warrant in 2019. Said was surrendered to the court in 2021, and his trial opened the following year.Victims’ lawyer Adeline Bedoucha said the court had already adjusted Said’s detention conditions after he fell ill in 2023. “What he went through was truly terrible and he does deserve our compassion,” she said. “What he does not deserve, however, is reducing his sentence.” If his health worsens, Bedoucha argues, the court can change the conditions under which he serves his time.Said’s defense gets the floor Wednesday, and judges may ask questions and hear replies before deliberating. Reparations will be handled separately. The sentence will come in a later ruling, on a date the court has yet to announce.Courthouse News reporter Eunseo Hong is based in the Netherlands.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads