The International Criminal Court has convicted former Seleka militia leader Mahamat Said Abdel Kani of four counts of crimes against humanity, including persecution and torture.
Judges at the ICC delivered the verdict on Wednesday over crimes allegedly committed in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, in 2013.
Prosecutors accused Said of running a prison where suspected supporters of then-President Francois Bozize were beaten and tortured. He denied all the charges against him.
Presiding Judge Miatta Maria Samba said Said and other members of the militia oversaw the beating and torture of prisoners as part of a plan targeting people perceived to support Bozize.
The court found Said guilty of four counts of crimes against humanity, including persecution and torture.
However, the judges dismissed several war crimes charges, ruling that the armed conflict had already ended when the alleged crimes were committed.
Said, who was dressed in jeans and a blue sweatshirt, showed no reaction as the verdict was read in court.
A separate hearing will be held to determine his sentence.
The Seleka rebels, whose name means “alliance” in the Sango language, seized power in the Central African Republic in 2013 during the country’s long-running civil war and ousted Bozize.
Their takeover triggered the emergence of opposing anti-Balaka militias, which were largely made up of Christians.
The ICC has been investigating violence in the Central African Republic since 2014.
The court has previously convicted two anti-Balaka leaders, but Said is the first former Seleka member to be convicted by the ICC.
