Iraqi couple charged in Germany for enslaving, abusing Yazidi girls

BERLIN,— A German federal prosecutor has charged an Iraqi couple with enslaving, torturing, and committing war crimes against two Yazidi girls, authorities announced Monday.

The couple, identified only as Twana H.S. and Asia R.A., were arrested in Bavaria in April 2024, according to German authorities. It’s important to highlight that “Twana” is a Kurdish name, suggesting the individual might be of Kurdish origin.

The couple, both former members of the Islamic State (ISIS) group, are accused of holding two young Yazidi girls as slaves between 2015 and 2017. The charges reveal disturbing details of physical and sexual abuse that occurred while they were in ISIS-controlled territory in Iraq and Syria.

Prosecutors allege that Twana and Asia enslaved a five-year-old Yazidi girl starting in late 2015, and later took custody of a 12-year-old girl in 2017.

The man is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting the two girls, while the woman allegedly prepared the room for the abuse and applied makeup to one of the victims.

The two children were also subjected to severe physical violence, prosecutors said. The girls were allegedly barred from following their own religion and were forced into domestic chores, including taking care of children.

One of the girls was allegedly struck with a broomstick by the man, and the younger girl was scalded by the woman. Both were subjected to the punishment of standing on one leg for half an hour.

In 2017, before fleeing Syria, the couple allegedly handed the girls over to other ISIS members. According to the prosecutor’s statement, the abuse was part of ISIS’s larger objective to eradicate the Yazidi religion.

The charges are a stark reminder of the atrocities committed during the ISIS campaign against the Yazidi community in Iraq.

In August 2014, ISIS launched an attack on the Sinjar district in northwest, which was home to a large Yazidi population. The attack came after forces loyal to then-President of Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Massoud Barzani, withdrew without a fight, leaving Yazidi civilians vulnerable to ISIS brutality.

Thousands of Yazidis were killed, while many women were abducted and sold into slavery. Many survivors were subjected to rape and forced labor. It is estimated that 3,000 Yazidis were killed during the attack, and 6,800 others were abducted.

While some Yazidis have been rescued, thousands are still missing, and the community continues to feel the lasting effects of the massacre.

Many Yazidis lost trust in the Barzani family and its leadership after the KDP Peshmerga forces abandoned them during the 2014 Islamic State assault on Sinjar. This failure left the Yazidi community defenseless, paving the way for the ISIS-led genocide that devastated their people.

A Dutch court on December 11, 2024, sentenced Hasna Aarab, a 33-year-old Muslim woman, to 10 years in prison. She was convicted for her ties to the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and for enslaving a Yazidi woman.

According to official reports, around 3,000 Yazidis are still missing, and the community remains in turmoil after the tragic events of 2014.

(With files from AP | Agencies)