German Federal Court of Justice's First-Ever Genocide Conviction of ISIS Member [1]
On January 17, 2023, the German Federal Court of Justice published its judgment [3] [in German only] of November 30, 2022, confirming the November 2021 conviction of Taha A.-J., an ISIS member, for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes against Yazidi victims in Fallujah, Iraq. According to a press statement [4] issued by the victim’s counsel, this is the first-ever conviction of an ISIS member for genocide. The Federal Court of Justice held that “. . . the organised enslavement of women and girls, especially in connection with religious re-education […] served to destroy the Yazidis religious minority in order to establish an Islamic caliphate. All in all, the approach was capable of bringing about . . . the (partial) destruction of this group as such.” Taha was sentenced to life in prison. No further appeal is possible. See also a press release [5] in German from the Court.