Historic Condemnation of the Destruction of Cultural Heritage at the International Criminal Court: The Case of Prosecutor v. Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi

Abstract:

“Justice did not tremble,” reported French newspaper Le Monde on September 29, 2016, describing the conclusion of this his- toric case at the International Criminal Court (ICC).1 Prosecutor v. Al Mahdi was replete with “firsts” for the Court: first prosecution for destruction of cultural heritage; first pros- ecution of an Islamic extremist; first case regarding Mali; first guilty plea.