Germany charges Iraqi couple over enslavement and abuse of Yazidi girls

A German federal prosecutor on Monday filed charges against an Iraqi couple for enslavement, torture and war crimes.

The couple, Twana HS and Asia RA, were apprehended in Bavaria in April for allegedly holding two young Yazidi girls captive and subjecting them to physical and sexual abuse, AP reported.

Between October 2015 and December 2017, the accused were affiliated with the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. According to prosecutors, they held a 5-year-old Yazidi girl captive from late 2015, and later imprisoned a 12-year-old from October 2017.

The prosecution stated that the man committed repeated sexual assaults on both girls, whilst the woman facilitated these acts by preparing the room and applying makeup to one victim.

The victims endured severe physical abuse and were forbidden from practising their faith. They were forced to perform household duties and provide childcare under duress.

According to prosecutors, specific incidents included the man striking the older girl with a broomstick, whilst the woman burnt the younger girl's hand with hot water. Both children were subjected to standing on one leg for thirty minutes as punishment.

The suspects transferred custody of the girls to other IS members before departing Syria in November 2017.
"All of this served the organization's objective to destroy the Yazidi religion," the statement said.