German Court Delivers Verdict on Iraqi Couple
A court in Munich, Germany, has handed down sentences to an Iraqi couple found guilty of enslaving two Yazidi girls in Iraq. The Munich Higher Regional Court also confirmed their involvement with the Islamic State (IS) group.
Sentencing and Charges
The male defendant, identified as Twana H.S. due to privacy regulations in Germany, received a life sentence. His convictions include genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and severe sexual abuse of minors. His partner, Asia R. A., received a juvenile sentence of nine and a half years.
The couple was apprehended in Bavaria in 2024. The Yazidi community, a Kurdish-speaking minority, faced severe persecution from IS starting in 2014, with many men killed and women and children subjected to enslavement and sexual violence. Germany officially recognizes these actions as genocide.
Prosecution's Case
The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office charged the defendants with participating in IS's systematic efforts to eliminate the Yazidi religion. Twana H.S. initially arrived in Germany in the early 2000s as an asylum seeker and worked as a hairdresser in Munich. Although his asylum request was denied, he was permitted to remain due to having a German child.
Reports from Der Spiegel indicate that after being radicalized at a Munich mosque, he returned to Iraq in 2015. The prosecution stated that the couple married under Islamic law and joined IS between October 2015 and December 2017. At the time of the crimes, Asia R. A. was under 21.
Details of the Crimes
In the fall of 2015, prosecutors allege that Twana H. S. purchased a five-year-old Yazidi girl as a slave in Mosul at the behest of his wife. The couple later acquired a twelve-year-old Yazidi girl in October 2017. Prosecutors accused Twana H. S. of multiple rapes of the children and stated that his wife assisted by applying makeup to one of the girls and preparing the room.
The couple reportedly forced the girls to perform household chores and childcare, while prohibiting them from practicing their faith. The children endured beatings, sometimes with solid objects. Prosecutors noted an instance where Asia R. A. scalded the younger girl's hand with hot water.
Testimonies and Trial Conclusion
The court heard distressing testimony from the older Yazidi girl, who recounted experiences of beatings, forced labor, and repeated sexual assaults, according to BR News. The younger girl's whereabouts remain unknown.
The trial took place in Germany under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which permits the prosecution of war crimes and genocide committed abroad. Throughout the trial, Asia R. A., who is now separated from Twana H.S., expressed remorse, stating, "I'm sorry." Twana H.S., however, chose not to speak.
Source: Original Article
