A German court on Monday sentenced an Iraqi couple linked to the so-called “Islamic State” militant group to lengthy prison sentences over the enslavement and abuse of two Yazidi girls.
The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office charged the couple with committing war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. They were also accused of sexually abusing children and aiding and abetting the listed offenses.
The man was sentenced to life in prison, while his former partner was given a juvenile sentence of nine and a half years.
The couple, identified as Twana H.S. and Asia R.A. in line with German privacy law, were most recently living in Germany and were arrested in the southern state of Bavaria in April last year.
What were the accusations against the couple?
The court proved that the defendants had enslaved and raped two Yazidi girls, as members of the Islamic State — the group that was documented by several countries including Germany to have committed genocide against the Yazidi population in Syria and Iraq.
The couple bought the two Yazidi girls as slaves in Iraq and exploited them, subjecting them to forced labor and torture. The man was found to have sexually abused the children.
“The monstrous violence is so far removed from any sense of humanity that it seems unreal,” the representative of the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office said.
The former partner, now aged 30, had apologised during the trial. Her former husband had declined to speak in court.
Edited by: Zac Crellin
Don’t let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google by clicking here and hitting the “star” or “preferred” button, so you’ll always see our verified news first.
About The Author
