A 52-year-old woman associated with the Islamic State group is currently on trial in Sweden, facing charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes for allegedly abusing Yazidi women and children in Syria. The woman, Lina Laina Ishaq, who is a Swedish citizen, is accused of committing these crimes between August 2014 and December 2016 in Raqqa, Syria – the former stronghold of the militant group.
This trial is significant as it marks the first time that Islamic State attacks against the Yazidis, a religious minority in Iraq, are being tried in Sweden. The prosecution has accused Ishaq of treating Yazidi women and children as slaves, subjecting them to sexual slavery, forced labor, deprivation of liberty, and extrajudicial executions during her time in Raqqa under IS rule.
The charges against Ishaq also include allegations of holding nine people, including children, as slaves for up to seven months, as well as abusing some of those captives. Prosecutors claim she aimed to “completely or partially annihilate the Yazidi ethnic group.” Additionally, she is accused of selling people to IS, knowing the risks they faced of being killed or sexually abused.
Despite denying any wrongdoing, Ishaq faces serious accusations, including molesting a one-month-old baby by silencing his screams and selling individuals to the terrorist group. Her capture by Syrian Kurdish troops in 2017 led to extradition back to Sweden, where she had earlier been convicted and sentenced to three years in prison for taking her young son to IS-controlled territory in Syria.
The crimes committed against the Yazidis by the Islamic State group, including the abduction of women and children for slavery and indoctrination, have been widely documented. The trial of Ishaq provides an opportunity for justice to be served for the victims of these heinous acts, shedding light on the atrocities committed in the region.
As the trial proceeds in the Stockholm District Court, the world watches closely as justice is sought for the Yazidi community and other victims of war crimes in Syria.