The International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Wednesday that it will deliver its verdict in the war crimes trial of a Malian national on January 18.
Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud, who goes by the name Al Hassan, is accused of torture, rape and sexual slavery through forced marriages, as well as destroying mausoleums in Timbuktu.
The verdict will be read out during a public hearing at 1400hrs (1300hrs GMT) at the court in The Hague, and transmitted live on the ICC's website.
The trial of the 46-year-old father of five opened in 2020.
Fifty-two witnesses
The prosecution called 52 witnesses, while the defence called 22. Lawyers representing 2,196 alleged victims called a further two witnesses.
The ancient city of Timbuktu, once known as the "city of 333 saints" for the Muslim holy men buried there, was subject to severe destruction while under the control of insurgents in 2012 and 2013.
Al Hassan is the second suspected insurgent tried from Mali to be tried by the ICC for destroying religious sanctuaries in Timbuktu, which is inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
The court sentenced Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi in 2016 to nine years in prison, which was reduced by two years on appeal in 2021.
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