In brief
In Munich, German prosecutors used universal jurisdiction to convict an Iraqi husband and wife for the enslavement and sexual abuse of two Yazidi girls in Mosul. The husband received a life sentence for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and child sexual abuse, while his wife was sentenced to 9½ years. The pair had joined ISIS between 2015 and 2017, purchasing both girls and forcing them to work without religious practice. The trial revealed harrowing testimony, including beatings and rapes, and culminated in the wife's apology. The second girl remains missing, underscoring the ongoing impact of ISIS atrocities.
A court in Munich has convicted an Iraqi husband and wife of enslaving and sexually abusing two Yazidi girls in Mosul, linking the crime to ISIS' genocide campaign in northern Iraq.
The Munich Higher Regional Court, applying universal jurisdiction, found Twana H.S. guilty of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and repeated child rape. His life sentence reflects the severity of the crimes, while his wife, Asia R. A., who was under 21 at the time, was sentenced to nine and a half years.
The couple, who arrived in Germany as an asylum seeker and later returned to Iraq, joined ISIS between October 2015 and December 2017. Prosecutors say Twana H.S. bought a five‑year‑old Yazidi child at a Mosul bazaar in 2015 and a twelve‑year‑old in October 2017, at his wife's request.
Witnesses heard that the girls were forced to do household work, were beaten with solid objects, and were repeatedly raped. One daughter described being scalded with hot water by the wife and forced to practice a different religion. The second girl is still listed as missing.
During the trial, the wife apologized publicly, stating she was sorry, while the husband declined to speak. The case highlights how Germany enforces its legal principle of universal jurisdiction to address atrocities committed abroad.
One of the defendants pictured in court in Munich on Monday.
