In brief
In Munich, prosecutors secured life imprisonment for Twana H.S. and a nine‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence for his wife Asia R.A., who were convicted of enslaving and raping Yazidi children in Iraq. The case rests on the wider IS genocide against Yazidis, with the defendants accused of buying girls into slavery and subjecting them to brutal child abuse. The trial, backed by Germany’s universal jurisdiction law, illustrates Germany’s commitment to prosecuting war crimes abroad.
In a historic verdict, the Munich Higher Regional Court sentenced an Iraqi husband, Twana H.S., to life imprisonment and his wife, Asia R.A., to nine and a half years for enslaving and sexually abusing Yazidi children.
Both were found guilty of membership in the Islamic State (IS), giving rise to charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The pair, who first fled to Germany as refugees, reportedly radicalised in a Munich mosque before returning to Iraq in 2015 to join IS.
Prosecutors say they bought a five‑year‑old Yazidi girl at a Mosul bazaar and later a twelve‑year‑old, subjecting them to forced labour, beatings, sexual rape and religious persecution.
Asia R.A. has been convicted under “universal jurisdiction”, a German legal principle permitting prosecution of war crimes committed abroad.
A court hearing revealed harrowing testimony from the eldest girl, while the second child remains missing, experts say.
More details: the court’s ruling underscores Germany’s proactive stance on international human rights violations and the enduring impact of the IS genocide on Yazidi communities.
