In a landmark case for justice for the Yazidi people, an Iraqi man, who married a German convert to Islam, has been put on trial over the death of a 5-year old Yazidi slave girl. The man, known only as Taha A.-J, faces charges of murder, membership of a foreign terrorist organization, genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and human trafficking, federal prosecutors said. The man and his wife, ‘Jennifer W,’ who went on trial in Munich last April, allegedly left the poor girl chained up outside their home and left her to die of thirst. They allegedly ‘bought’ the Yazidi girl and her mother in 2015 in Mosul, northern Iraq. The victims were subjected to physical abuse, forced to convert to Islam and deprived of food and water, all with aim of "destroying the Yazidis, their religion and their culture in keeping with the aims of IS”, according to the prosecution.
This is a massive step in the international struggle for justice for the Yazidi people within the framework of international law. The crimes of the Islamic State must not remain unpunished and we will continue to fight to rehabilitate Yazidis subjected to years of inhumane treatment at the hands of their barbaric captors.
Photo: ‘Jennifer W.’ on trial in Munich last April @gettyimages
