The Islamist extremist accused of destroying the historic site in Timbuktu pleaded guilty as his trial at the International Criminal Court began on Monday.
The trial is the first such ICC war crimes trial over the destruction of a site of historic or cultural signifcance.
Ahmad Al Faqi al-Mahdi, who was a member of a group close to Al Qaeda, told the trial that he entered a guilty plea "with deep regret and great pain".
The ICC's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said that Mr Mahdi was “who identified the sites to be destroyed and who provided the means”.
He faces upto 30 years in imprisonment, however in view of his guilty plea, prosecutors have agreed to seek a sentence of 9 to 11 years.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
