Rosalind Evans
A German national identified as Nadine K. has been handed a nine-year-and-three-month jail sentence by the Higher Regional Court of Koblenz after being found guilty of war crimes, including enslaving and mistreating a young Yazidi woman, according to a statement released by the victim’s counsel.
The 37-year-old woman and ex-ISIS member were accused of crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes, as per the statement. It was revealed that the young Yazidi woman, N, was “gifted” to Nadine K.’s husband in 2016 and underwent three years of forced labour and sexual assault. Nadine K. and her husband were associated with ISIS then, and the crimes were committed in various locations across Syria and Iraq.
Despite being aware of the regular physical and sexual abuse N was subjected to, Nadine K. failed to intervene, using her mistreatment of N as a means to propagate ISIS ideology. Despite being a Yazidi, N was also compelled to adhere to Islamic practices.
N dared to travel from Iraq to Germany to testify against her captor, providing six days of gut-wrenching testimony recounting her ordeal.
She expressed her hope for justice for herself and her entire Yazidi community, saying, “We can only process what happened to us if we experience justice.”
Sonka Mehner, who represented N in court, acknowledged the profound impact of N’s heartbreaking testimony on everyone present. Amal Clooney, also part of N’s counsel, celebrated this as the third conviction of an ISIS member for genocide.
“In this trial, my client stared down the ISIS member who enslaved her for three years. And today, she won,” Clooney said.
Another member of N’s legal team, Natalie von Wistinghausen, praised N’s courage as “truly humbling” and highlighted her powerful statement about wearing traditional Yazidi attire in court, signifying the indomitable spirit of the Yazidi culture.
In August 2014, ISIS wreaked havoc on the Yazidi community, capturing thousands of them during their assault on Sinjar and forcing the women into slavery. Efforts have been ongoing since then to bring the perpetrators to justice.
In October 2021, another German woman and former ISIS member were sentenced to a 10-year imprisonment term for the death of a five-year-old Yazidi girl. The woman, Jennifer W., was found guilty of crimes against humanity, including “enslavement resulting in the death of another” and being part of a foreign terrorist group.
The conviction of Nadine K. serves as a landmark decision, emphasizing the world’s commitment to hold individuals accountable for their roles in perpetrating genocide and war crimes. It also underlines the importance of recognizing and addressing the profound suffering endured by the Yazidi community at the hands of ISIS. This is a significant step in the journey toward justice for the Yazidi community and all victims of such atrocities.
