Iraqi Couple Convicted of Enslaving Yazidi Girls in Germany
A court in Munich, Germany, has sentenced an Iraqi couple for enslaving two Yazidi girls in Iraq. The Munich Higher Regional Court found the couple guilty of being members of the Islamic State (IS) group. The male defendant, known as Twana H.S., received a life sentence for several charges including genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and severe child sexual abuse. His wife, Asia R. A., was sentenced to nine and a half years under juvenile sentencing guidelines.
Background of the Case
The couple was apprehended in Bavaria in 2024. The Yazidis, a Kurdish-speaking minority, faced severe persecution by IS after the group took control of large areas in Syria and Iraq starting in 2014. This included mass killings of Yazidi men and the enslavement and sexual abuse of women and children. Germany has classified these actions as genocide. The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office asserted that the couple participated in IS's systematic efforts to eliminate the Yazidi religion.
Twana H.S. originally arrived in Germany in the early 2000s seeking asylum. He worked in Munich as a hairdresser and fathered a child, which allowed him to remain in the country despite being denied asylum. Der Spiegel reported that he became radicalized at a local mosque and returned to Iraq in 2015. Prosecutors stated that the couple married under Islamic law in Iraq and joined IS between October 2015 and December 2017. Asia R. A. was under 21 years old at the time of the crimes.
Details of the Crimes
In late 2015, Twana H.S. reportedly purchased a five-year-old Yazidi girl as a slave at a Mosul bazaar at his wife's behest. The couple later acquired a twelve-year-old Yazidi girl in October 2017. Prosecutors accused Twana H.S. of repeatedly raping both children, with his wife allegedly preparing the environment for these assaults. The couple also forced the children to perform household chores and childcare, while forbidding them from practicing their religion. The children endured beatings, including with solid objects, and Asia R. A. allegedly scalded the younger girl's hand with hot water.
During the trial, the court heard harrowing testimony from the elder Yazidi girl detailing beatings, forced labor, and repeated assaults. Unfortunately, the second girl remains missing, according to BR News. The trial took place in Germany due to the principle of universal jurisdiction, which permits the prosecution of war crimes, including genocide, committed abroad.
Trial and Sentencing
Throughout the trial, Asia R.A., who is now separated from Twana H.S., expressed remorse in her final statement, saying "I'm sorry." Twana H.S. chose not to speak in court. The case brings attention to the ongoing struggles faced by the Yazidi community and the long-lasting impacts of IS's actions.
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