Brussels, 4 November 2025 — Belgian citizen Sammy Djedou, a leading member of ISIS, is being tried in absentia before the Brussels Assize Court for genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Ezidi women.
Investigators accuse Djedou of enslaving three Ezidi women during ISIS’s 2014 attack on Shengal (Sinjar) in northern Iraq. The women were reportedly held captive for years, tortured, beaten, and repeatedly raped—acts prosecutors say formed part of ISIS’s systematic campaign of genocide against the Ezidis.
Although Djedou is believed to have been killed in a 2016 airstrike in Syria, Belgian authorities have continued the case due to lack of conclusive evidence of his death. This marks Belgium’s first trial addressing ISIS war crimes and sexual slavery of Ezidi women.
The investigation, conducted in cooperation with Iraq and France, was supported by V-Europe and international organizations assisting survivors of ISIS captivity. Prosecutors emphasized the historic importance of the case, underscoring that it reflects Ezidi women’s ongoing struggle for justice and the documentation of ISIS’s atrocities.
The 2014 genocide in Shengal left thousands of Ezidis murdered, abducted, or enslaved. According to organizations such as Yazda, Free Yezidi Foundation and Nadia’s Initiative, more than 2,700 Ezidis remain missing, many still enduring captivity and sexual violence.
