French ISIS Member Convicted of Genocide for Yazidi Atrocities in Historic Ruling
A French member of the Islamic State terrorist organization has been convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity for atrocities committed against the Yazidi religious minority in a landmark judgment that underscores the systematic brutality of jihadist groups.
The Paris criminal court found Sabri Essid, who was tried in absentia, directly participated in an organized system of killing, raping, and enslaving members of the ancient Iraqi ethnic and religious minority. This historic verdict represents the first conviction of a French ISIS member for genocide and crimes against humanity.
Harrowing Testimony from Survivors
The case was built on devastating evidence from two Yazidi women who were enslaved by the Toulouse-born terrorist in the ISIS-declared caliphate between 2014 and 2016. One victim described being purchased by an ISIS member in exchange for a car and a gun before being sold to Essid, who made her his sexual slave.
"I would like Yazidi voices to be heard, not only in France, but throughout the world," the woman told the court during emotional testimony. She recounted being raped daily, often in front of her two-year-old daughter, during an ordeal that lasted more than two years.
Multiple women who managed to escape ISIS captivity identified Essid as their "owner," stating he had purchased them for prices ranging from $40 to $100.
Chilling Evidence from ISIS Slave Markets
Judge Marc Sommerer presented disturbing extracts from transcripts of conversations within a Telegram group titled "market for caliphate soldiers." These communications included posts from ISIS members selling young children as sexual slaves, with the youngest girls fetching up to $14,000.
The terrorist organization considered girls as young as nine to have reached sexual maturity, according to evidence presented in court. A document listing women and girls aged one to fifty with corresponding "market prices" was shown to the court.
Bahzad Farhan, founder of the NGO Kinyat which documents the Yazidi genocide, obtained the transcripts by infiltrating online discussion groups. "All girls over 10 and boys over 12 were taken from their mothers. The girls became sexual objects; the boys fighters," he testified.
Systematic Plan to Eliminate Yazidis
The Yazidi genocide began with an ISIS massacre in the Sinjar mountains in August 2014 that left thousands dead. The Islamist group enslaved approximately 6,000 Yazidis, with 2,000 still missing today.
An investigator from France's general directorate of internal security described how ISIS implemented a comprehensive plan to eliminate the religious minority. This involved killing or forcibly converting men and boys while enslaving women, girls, and younger children.
Notorious Terrorist Background
Essid is the stepbrother of Mohamed Merah, the French terrorist who killed three soldiers and four Jewish people, including three children, in Toulouse in 2012 before being killed in a police shootout.
Essid traveled to Syria's northern border with Iraq in 2014 and was later joined by his wife and children. Although presumed killed in 2018, his wife believes he may still be alive. He gained particular notoriety after appearing in a video alongside a 12-year-old boy whom he encouraged to execute a hostage by shooting him in the head.
Landmark Legal Achievement
Clémence Bectarte, representing three Yazidi women and eight children who remained unnamed throughout proceedings, stated that the trial allowed survivors "to recount the hell they endured at the hands of Isis."
"Fighting for justice means fighting against being forgotten," Bectarte emphasized. "This verdict was achieved through the courage and determination of the Yazidi survivors who attach great value to this first conviction of a French Isis member for genocide and crimes against humanity."
This French verdict follows a landmark hearing in Germany in November 2021, where Iraqi ISIS member Taha al-Jumailly received a life sentence for genocide and crimes against humanity for leaving a five-year-old Yazidi girl and her mother to die of thirst while held as slaves.
