Another Iraqi Couple Charged with Enslaving and Abusing Ezidi Girls
An Iraqi couple has been charged in Germany with enslaving and abusing two young Ezidi girls while being members of ISIS. They were arrested on 9th April 2023 and were formally charged on 30th December 2024, for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
The Charges
Germany’s federal prosecutors announced on Monday that they had charged an Iraqi couple, identified only as Twana H.S. and Asia R.A. in accordance with German privacy laws, with multiple criminal offenses, including enslavement, torture, and war crimes. The couple was arrested in April 2023 in the southern state of Bavaria, where they had sought refuge after fleeing the conflict in Syria.
According to the prosecutor’s statement, the couple had been members of the IS terrorist organization between 2015 and 2017, during which time they allegedly kept two young Ezidi girls as slaves. The first girl, only five years old at the time, was enslaved by the couple in late 2015, and a second girl, aged 12, was taken into captivity in October 2017.
A Systematic Pattern of Abuse
The couple is accused of subjecting the two girls to horrific abuse. Prosecutors allege that the man repeatedly raped both girls, while the woman is accused of preparing the room and forcing one of the girls to wear makeup. The abuse was not limited to sexual violence. The couple allegedly subjected the girls to physical torment, including frequent beatings, and forced them to perform household chores and childcare under harsh conditions.
One of the most chilling accusations involves the man allegedly striking the older girl with a broomstick. The woman, in turn, is accused of scalding the younger girl’s hand with hot water. Additionally, both children were reportedly forced to stand on one leg for up to half an hour as a form of punishment.
The prosecution also emphasised that the couple deliberately prevented the girls from practicing their Ezidi faith, further demonstrating the IS group’s broader agenda of religious persecution against the Ezidi people. The Ezidis, an ethnic and religious minority predominantly based in northern Iraq, have been the subject of genocidal violence since IS targeted them in 2014. Their sacred traditions, including their religious beliefs, were viewed as a threat by IS, leading to widespread violence and forced conversions.
The Role of IS in the Abuse
The charges against the couple are set within the context of IS’s systematic campaign to destroy the Ezidi religion and people. In 2014, IS launched a brutal offensive against the Ezidis in northern Iraq, subjecting its members to mass executions, forced conversions, sexual slavery, and other atrocities. The charges against the couple reflect the broader pattern of genocide that targeted Ezidis during this time.
According to the prosecution, the abuse and exploitation of the two girls were part of IS’s broader objective to eradicate the Ezidi faith and people. In 2017, the couple allegedly handed the girls over to other IS members before fleeing Syria.
The Ezidi Genocide: A Continued Tragedy
The trauma inflicted on the Ezidi people has been widely documented, with tens of thousands of Ezidis killed, abducted, or displaced during the IS campaign. Women and girls, in particular, were subjected to rape, enslavement, and sexual violence. Many were forcibly converted to Islam, while others were sold into sexual slavery.
Despite the fall of IS in 2017, the scars of this genocide remain deep within the Ezidi collective memory. Thousands of women and children are still missing, and many survivors struggle to rebuild their lives in refugee camps or foreign countries, where they often face stigmatization and psychological trauma.
This case in Germany is part of ongoing efforts to hold perpetrators of IS crimes accountable. German authorities have been at the forefront of investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in IS atrocities, particularly those responsible for crimes against the Ezidi population.
