The Office of the Prosecutor welcomes today's judgment in the case of The Prosecutor v. Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, in which the Trial Chamber found Mr Said guilty of multiple acts constituting crimes against humanity. This judgment represents a significant achievement for the victims, and an end to impunity.
Statement of the ICC Office of the Prosecutor on the conviction of Mr Mahamat Said Abdel Kani
Mr Said is the first senior member of the rebel movement Séléka to stand trial before the International Criminal Court for the crimes committed by the Séléka in the Central African Republic. The case concerns serious crimes committed by the Séléka in Bangui between May and August 2013, at the Office Central de Répression du Banditisme (OCRB). Mr Said, as the de facto head of the OCRB, together with others , targeted perceived Bozizé supporters in Bangui by committing imprisonment or other severe deprivation of liberty, torture, other inhumane acts and persecution at the OCRB. In particular, OCRB Seleka would tie detainees up using the arbatachar torture method.
In its judgment, the Chamber found that civilians were targeted and subjected to unlawful arrest, detention and mistreatment on discriminatory grounds. Those targeted were civilians that were perceived as supporters of President François Bozizé. The Chamber found that "in determining whether an individual may support François Bozizé, the Seleka had regard to a number of indicators, namely an individual's religion, ethnicity, gender, political background, profession and/or domicile." It concluded that the victims were targeted "based on intersecting discriminatory political, ethnic, religious, and/or gender grounds."
"Today's judgment is an important step towards accountability for serious crimes committed in the Central African Republic. It underscores that, through partnership between the Court, national authorities and affected communities, those responsible for crimes under the Rome Statute can be brought before the Court, irrespective of their position or affiliation. Justice has been delivered through our collective action," said Acting Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang.
The Chamber, however, dismissed the war crimes charges. The Office of the Prosecutor will carefully review the judgment to determine the next steps.
The judgment follows an investigation, which began after the Government of the Central African Republic's second referral on 30 May 2014, and a trial which commenced in September 2022. The Prosecution relied on the oral and written testimony of 81 witnesses, and more than 2,500 items of evidence. These included documents, photographs, images, and videos.
"Our thoughts are first and foremost with the victims and survivors. The judgment recognises the serious harm addressed in these proceedings and the suffering endured by those who were detained and mistreated. While no judgment can erase that suffering, accountability can affirm the rights and dignity of victims," the Acting Prosecutor added.
The Office expresses its deep appreciation to the victims and their representatives, witnesses, civil society, the Central African Republic's authorities and all other partners whose cooperation and support were essential to the investigation and prosecution of this case.
The Office remains committed to pursuing accountability for serious crimes committed in the Central African Republic - including through complementarity initiatives in support of national proceedings such as the ongoing work of the Special Criminal Court - and to working with victims, affected communities and partners in the fight against impunity.
The Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC conducts independent and impartial preliminary examinations, investigations and prosecutions of the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. For further details on "preliminary examinations" and "situations and cases" before the Court, click here, and here.
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Situation Central African Republic II
