Nobel laureate Nadia Murad is urging countries across the globe to replicate Germany’s historic move in prosecuting ISIS members for genocide.
Germany this week became the first nation to convict an ISIS member for genocide against the Yazidi community.
Ms Murad, a Yazidi survivor of atrocities committed by ISIS, described the verdict as a win for survivors and called for other nations to follow suit.
More than 10,000 Yazidis were killed when ISIS swept through northern Iraq in 2014 and about 7,000 women and girls were enslaved, many of whom are still missing.
Ms Murad said Germany's "use of universal jurisdiction in this case can and should be replicated by governments around the world".
“The verdict is a win for survivors of genocide and the entire Yazidi community. Germany is not only raising awareness about the need for justice but is acting on it,” she said.
Taha Al Jumailly, 29, an Iraqi ISIS member, was sentenced to life in jail after being found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity resulting in death, war crimes, aiding and abetting war crimes and bodily harm resulting in death, after joining the terrorist group in 2013.
He was accused of enslaving a Yazidi mother and her daughter, 5.
The child died of heatstroke after she was chained outside — without food or water — in Fallujah in the summer of 2015 when temperatures reached 50°C, as punishment for wetting the bed when she was ill. Al Jumailly also prevented them from practising their religion.
In a separate trial in Munich in October, Al Jumailly’s ex-wife Jennifer Wenisch was sentenced to 10 years in jail for crimes against humanity and her role in the child's death.
Wenisch was convicted for "crimes against humanity in the form of enslavement" and aiding and abetting the girl's death by failing to offer help. She did not face genocide charges.
The mother and child were from a village in Sinjar, which was attacked by ISIS in August 2014.
The judgment in Germany was the first time a court had used the word "genocide" to describe what happened to the Yazidi community.
Germany has used the legal principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows for prosecution even if alleged offences were committed in a foreign country.
ISIS massacred thousands of Yazidi men and older women in 2014 and left them in mass graves.
The militants then took young boys to train as child soldiers and girls as sex slaves.
The UN’s Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by ISIS, or Unitad, is working to exhume the mass graves left by the terrorist group.
There are more than 200 mass graves containing up to 12,000 bodies in Iraq, which are attributed to ISIS.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
