Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere

The Yazidis are a religious minority who mainly reside in northern Iraq and have a distinct religious identity. On 3rd August 2014, they were attacked by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), also known as Daesh. 

The initial attack was followed by forced conversions to Islam, Yazidi men were killed and thrown into mass graves, and women were sold into slavery. 

On July 27, 2022, a court in Germany convicted a German Daesh member, Jalda A., of aiding and abetting genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for the enslavement and abuse of a young Yazidi woman, known as “M”. 

The defendant was sentenced to five years and six months in prison. This is a second conviction of a Daesh fighter for genocide against the Yazidis, both in Germany and around the world. 

The Yazidi woman abused by Jalda A testified in the proceedings and played a key role in securing the conviction. Apart from giving evidence on the atrocities suffered, she also described the atrocities perpetrated by Daesh against other Yazidis, including children.