Iraqi suspects apprehended in Germany for alleged abuse of Yazidi children

German authorities have detained two individuals suspected of being affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group on charges of enslavement and sexual abuse of Yazidi girls in Syria and Iraq. Identified as Twana H. S. and Asia R. A., the Iraqi suspects face accusations of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and membership in a foreign terrorist organization, according to the federal prosecutor’s office.

The arrests took place on Tuesday in Regensburg and the Roth district, both located in the southern state of Bavaria. The suspects, who were reportedly married under Islamic law, are said to have been active members of IS in Iraq and Syria from 2015 to 2017. Prosecutors allege that during this period, they held two Yazidi girls, aged five and 12, as slaves.

Yazidis, a Kurdish-speaking minority from northern Iraq, have long been targets of persecution by IS militants, who have perpetrated atrocities including mass killings, sexual violence against women, and forcible recruitment of children as combatants. Twana H. S. is accused of repeatedly raping both children, allegedly aided by Asia R. A., who is said to have prepared a room and applied makeup to one of the girls.

According to prosecutors, the victims faced severe physical abuse for what the suspects deemed as mistakes. The elder girl was reportedly beaten with a broomstick, while the younger one suffered scalding of her hand with hot water. Additionally, the suspects allegedly compelled the children to perform household chores and prohibited them from practicing their own religion, coercing them to adhere to Islam.

The suspects purportedly relinquished custody of the girls to other IS members before departing Syria in November 2017. Prosecutors assert that such actions were in furtherance of the organization’s objective to eradicate the Yazidi faith. Twana H. S. and Asia R. A. are currently in pre-trial detention as investigations continue.

This incident echoes a previous case in which a German woman associated with the jihadist group received a 14-year prison sentence from a Munich court last year for enslaving a five-year-old Yazidi girl who subsequently died of thirst.