Lina Ishaq, a 52-year-old Swedish woman, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for genocide and war crimes against the Yazidi community, marking a pivotal legal action in Sweden regarding ISIS atrocities.
Sweden Sentences Woman to 12 Years for IS-linked Genocide Against Yazidis
Sweden Sentences Woman to 12 Years for IS-linked Genocide Against Yazidis
A Swedish national receives prison time for her role in war crimes against Yazidi people during her time with ISIS.
In a historic ruling, Lina Ishaq, previously affiliated with the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for her involvement in the enslavement of Yazidi women and children. The Stockholm District Court found the 52-year-old guilty of committing war crimes during her time in Raqqa, Syria, from 2014 to 2016. Ishaq became the first person convicted for IS-related crimes against the Yazidi population in Sweden.
The Yazidis, an ethnic and religious minority primarily situated in northern Iraq, faced a brutal campaign from IS starting in August 2014, resulting in approximately 5,000 deaths and the displacement of over half a million Yazidis.
Ishaq had previously relocated her family from Sweden to Syria in 2013 to join IS and was already serving sentences for taking her young son into the war zone and allowing her other son to be used as a child soldier – a son who tragically died in 2017. Evidence presented in court established that Ishaq not only kept three Yazidi women and six children as slaves but also subjected them to severe physical and psychological abuse, enforcing religious practices upon them.
“The convicted woman was part of the large-scale enslavement system that IS introduced for Yazidi women and children," said presiding judge Maria Ulfsdotter Klang. Ishaq's actions contributed significantly to the ongoing trafficking and systemic oppression faced by the Yazidis.
Ishaq, who was born in Iraq and moved to Sweden as a child, converted to Islam before marrying. Her case has had broader implications as it fostered a sense of trust among the Yazidi community in Sweden, many of whom felt threatened to speak out against IS due to fear of retaliation. "This indictment has changed the perception," stated Dawood Khalaf, chair of the Yazidi association in Skaraborg, acknowledging the renewed confidence among community members in cooperating with authorities.
Ishaq's attorney, Mikael Westerlund, indicated that Ishaq denies the charges and may pursue an appeal, leaving open the possibility of further legal developments in this landmark case.
The Yazidis, an ethnic and religious minority primarily situated in northern Iraq, faced a brutal campaign from IS starting in August 2014, resulting in approximately 5,000 deaths and the displacement of over half a million Yazidis.
Ishaq had previously relocated her family from Sweden to Syria in 2013 to join IS and was already serving sentences for taking her young son into the war zone and allowing her other son to be used as a child soldier – a son who tragically died in 2017. Evidence presented in court established that Ishaq not only kept three Yazidi women and six children as slaves but also subjected them to severe physical and psychological abuse, enforcing religious practices upon them.
“The convicted woman was part of the large-scale enslavement system that IS introduced for Yazidi women and children," said presiding judge Maria Ulfsdotter Klang. Ishaq's actions contributed significantly to the ongoing trafficking and systemic oppression faced by the Yazidis.
Ishaq, who was born in Iraq and moved to Sweden as a child, converted to Islam before marrying. Her case has had broader implications as it fostered a sense of trust among the Yazidi community in Sweden, many of whom felt threatened to speak out against IS due to fear of retaliation. "This indictment has changed the perception," stated Dawood Khalaf, chair of the Yazidi association in Skaraborg, acknowledging the renewed confidence among community members in cooperating with authorities.
Ishaq's attorney, Mikael Westerlund, indicated that Ishaq denies the charges and may pursue an appeal, leaving open the possibility of further legal developments in this landmark case.
