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| A man with his right hand and left foot covered in bandages after they were chopped off by Islamists/AFP |
As conflict continues in Mali, Amnesty International has unearthed evidence that civilians are on the receiving end of horrific abuses that include amputations, sexual violence and extra-judicial executions.
After a 15-day research mission to Mali earlier this month, the organization launched a new briefing revealing such abuses in several locations across the country.
Amputations
In northern Mali, Islamist groups bent on imposing their interpretation of Sharia law are increasingly imposing violent punishments such as amputations following sham trials of those accused of committing crimes.
The latest amputation was carried out on 16 September, and since August Amnesty International has documented a total of seven people who faced such punishment after hasty sham trials on charges of theft or robbery.
An eyewitness to one amputation on 10 September in the town of Gao’s Place de l’Indépendance described the event to Amnesty International:
“…The MUJAO [Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa] members arrived in several vehicles … provided security and prevented people from getting beyond the fence bordering the square… [The accused] was sitting on a chair; his feet, forearms and torso were tied to the chair.
“The new Police Commissioner of Gao, who bought and sold animal skins before the fall of Gao in April [2012], held the right hand of the man sitting on the chair, he cut through it with his knife and showed it off like a trophy. The crowd showed their displeasure. Then another member of MUJAO cut off the right foot. They then poured a white powder on the cut parts to avoid bleeding. The wounded man was taken for treatment at the hospital later.
“That same day, four others were amputated in the same way at the MUJAO camp. All those who have undergone MUJAO amputations so far are black. The amputated hands and feet were exhibited at the police station."
Irrespective of the offences committed, punitive amputation is prohibited under international law as it constitutes cruel treatment and torture.
Extra-judicial executions
Extra-judicial executions have also taken place since the conflict began.
On the night of 8 to 9 September 2012, the Malian military detained 16 members of the Dawa, a movement of Muslim preachers at a checkpoint in Diabali (around 400 km northeast of the capital Bamako). A few hours later, all 16 were extra-judicially executed.
Source: Amnesty International, Sept. 20, 2012
First video evidence of Mali amputations
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| Mali, September 2012 |
The video secured by AFP from a Malian journalist in Bamako was shot by a local cameraman with the agreement of the jihadists, the day after the amputations under sharia (Islamic) law on five men accused of theft.
According to local sources, the amputations were carried out by the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) which controls the city of Gao.
In the video, three young men are seen lying on beds. Their right hands and left feet have been chopped off and bandaged.
They hide their faces from the camera with their good hands or by turning their heads away.
“What we have inflicted on them is what God commanded us to do… God’s will has been carried out and the sins of these people have been erased,” says a Jihadist, calling himself Aliou Mahamar, “Islamic commissioner of Gao” in the local Songhai language.
Amputations were carried out on five men on Monday in Gao, a medical source there said earlier.
In the video, the jihadist is also seen talking to one of the amputees in a conversation punctuated with the words “God is Greatest” in Arabic.
“We prefer to be punished in this world and be absolved of our sins,” responds one of the victims, although it was not possible to see if his words had been dictated to him.
Source: Capital News, Sept. 14, 2012