The Munich Regional Court has sentenced an Iraqi couple to life imprisonment in a case involving the enslavement and rape of two Yazidi girls.
The public prosecutor’s office filed charges in December 2024, accusing the couple of multiple offenses, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes against individuals. The prosecution also leveled charges of human trafficking and severe sexual abuse of children, in addition to alleging the couple’s membership in a foreign terrorist organization.
The couple held a marriage recognized under Islamic law and were members of the foreign terrorist group “Islamic State” (IS) between October 2015 and December 2017, operating in Iraq and Syria. In the autumn of 2015, following the wife’s request, the man bought a five-year-old Yazidi girl as a slave from a bazaar in Mosul. In early October 2017, the couple acquired a second Yazidi girl, who was twelve years old at the time.
The man allegedly raped both children multiple times. Furthermore, the girls were subjected to economic exploitation, being constantly utilized for housework and childcare. Reports also indicate that they suffered additional physical abuse.
The defendants were arrested on April 9, 2024, and have remained in custody since their detention.
