IS-woman gets 14 years in prison for crimes against Ezidis

Summary:

• Jennifer W. was initially convicted by a German court in October 2021 for her involvement in enslaving, abusing, and killing a five-year-old Ezidi girl named Reda, as well as enslaving and abusing Reda’s mother.
• The Higher Regional Court of Munich reaffirmed her conviction in August 2023 and increased her sentence from 10 to 14 years in prison.

Background

Jennifer W., a German national, left Germany for Iraq in August 2014 and joined ISIS. Between June and September 2015, she conducted “moral patrols” in ISIS-occupied Fallujah and Mosul, checking whether women’s behavior and clothing adhered to ISIS rules. During these patrols, she reportedly carried lethal weapons and received payment from ISIS. Jennifer W. shared a household with her husband, Taha A.-J., who also joined ISIS in 2013.

In the summer of 2015, Taha A.-J. purchased a Ezidi woman and her five-year-old daughter, who had been enslaved by ISIS. Taha A.-J. and Jennifer W. held them captive as slaves in inhumane conditions. Taha A.-J. is accused of forcing the captives to convert to Islam, beating them severely, and chaining the five-year-old outdoors in scorching heat, leading to the child’s death. Jennifer W. witnessed these acts but took no action to prevent the child’s death.

The Legal Process begins

Legal proceedings began in 2019 against Jennifer W. and Taha A.-J. The trial against Jennifer W. started in April 2019, with her facing charges including war crimes for the killing of the five-year-old Yazidi child. Taha A.-J. was arrested in Greece in May 2019 and later extradited to Germany, where he faced charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, murder, and human trafficking.

In October 2021, the Higher Regional Court of Munich found Jennifer W. guilty of membership in a foreign terrorist organization, aiding and abetting attempted murder, and crimes against humanity. She was initially sentenced to ten¹ years in prison, but the Federal Public Prosecutor appealed for a life sentence.

On November 30, 2021, the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt found Taha A.-J. guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, aiding and abetting war crimes, and bodily harm resulting in death. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to pay compensation to the mother of the deceased child. Taha A.-J. appealed his conviction.

The Appeal results in a higher sentence

In a recent development, the Higher Regional Court of Munich sentenced Jennifer W. to 14 years in prison, including crimes against humanity through enslavement, in a case resulting in death.² This decision came after her initial ten-year sentence was appealed by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.

Jennifer W.’s defense argued for a ten-year sentence, but the court decided on the longer sentence. During the trial, Jennifer W. remained motionless, while the mother of the killed Yazidi girl sat in the courtroom as a witness, which was emotionally challenging for her. Jennifer W. did not help the child, fearing her husband’s reaction, which the court deemed a selfish act.

The court also found that Jennifer W. had supported the enslavement of the mother and daughter and had threatened the mother with a gun after the child’s death, causing lasting psychological trauma. The proceedings serve as a sign to the Yazidi community that the German judiciary is addressing the crimes committed against them.

The legal proceedings against Jennifer W. and Taha A.-J. have addressed their involvement in ISIS crimes, including enslavement and the death of a five-year-old Ezidi girl, with Jennifer W. receiving a 14-year prison sentence.

The judges highlighted that Jennifer W. had neglected the Ezidi victims’ human rights due to their ethnicity and religious beliefs and intentionally furthered ISIS’ policy of annihilating the Yazidi people. The case holds global significance as it represents one of the first trials against an ISIS member for crimes committed against the Yazidis. It adds to a series of convictions in Germany against ISIS members, including convictions for genocide.