Widow of IS leader sentenced to death for crimes against Yazidi women
An Iraqi court has sentenced one of the widows of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to death for crimes against Yazidi women. The defendant held Yazidi women captive in her house and supported their abduction by terrorists of the Islamic State organization in the Sindjar district, the Iraqi Justice Ministry spokesperson announced. He did not name the defendant, but two court representatives identified her as Asma Mohammed.
She was arrested in Turkey in 2018. Last year, Mohammed was handed over to the Iraqi authorities, an Iraqi security officer told the Associated Press news agency.
The verdict came a few weeks before the tenth anniversary of the IS attack on the religious minority of Yazidis in the Iraqi region of Sindjar. IS killed thousands of people during the attack. Others were taken captive, including women and girls, who were sexually abused or sold.
Al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria in late June 2014. He was killed by US troops in 2019.
The IS chief, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, had a widow who was sentenced to death by an Iraqi court for committing crimes against Yazidi women. This widow, identified as Asma Mohammed, was arrested in Turkey in 2018 and later handed over to the Iraqi authorities in 2019. Mohammed was accused of holding Yazidi women captive in her house and supporting their abduction by terrorists affiliated with the Islamic State organization in the Sindjar district.
