German Court Sentences Iraqi Couple for Enslaving Yazidi Girls
An Iraqi couple has been convicted by a German court for enslaving two Yazidi girls in Iraq, along with being members of the Islamic State (IS) group. The Munich Higher Regional Court found Twana H.S., the male defendant, guilty of several severe charges, including genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and severe child sexual abuse. He received a life sentence. His wife, Asia R.A., was sentenced to nine and a half years under juvenile sentencing guidelines.
Background on the Case
The couple was apprehended in Bavaria in 2024. The Yazidis, a minority Kurdish-speaking group, faced extreme persecution from IS after the group took control of large areas in Syria and Iraq beginning in 2014. Many Yazidi men were killed, and women and children were enslaved and subjected to sexual violence when IS militants attacked the Yazidis' northern Iraqi homeland. Germany acknowledges these acts as genocide.
The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office accused the defendants of participating in IS's systematic campaign aimed at eradicating the Yazidi religion. According to reports, Twana H.S. initially arrived in Germany in the early 2000s as an asylum seeker. He was denied asylum but was allowed to stay because he had a child in Germany. He reportedly became radicalized at a mosque in Munich and returned to Iraq in 2015.
Details of the Crimes
Prosecutors detailed that Twana H.S. and Asia R.A. were married under Islamic law and joined IS between October 2015 and December 2017. At the time the crimes occurred, Asia R.A. was under 21. It was in the autumn of 2015 that Twana H.S. bought a five-year-old Yazidi girl as a slave in Mosul, reportedly at his wife's behest. Later, in October 2017, they acquired a twelve-year-old Yazidi girl. The prosecution stated that Twana H.S. repeatedly raped both girls, while his wife arranged the setting and assisted him.
The couple forced the children into household chores and childcare, and prohibited them from practicing their religion. The abuse included physical beatings, with Asia R.A. reportedly scalding the younger girl's hand with hot water on one occasion.
Trial Proceedings
The trial included emotional testimonies, particularly from the elder Yazidi girl, who recounted the abuse and forced labour she endured. The whereabouts of the second girl remain unknown. The case was tried in Germany based on universal jurisdiction, which permits prosecuting alleged war crimes like genocide regardless of where they occurred.
During the proceedings, Asia R.A., now estranged from Twana H.S., expressed remorse by apologizing in her final statement, saying, "I'm sorry." Twana H.S. chose not to speak during the trial.
Source: Original Article
