Sema
The trial of a couple accused of belonging to ISIS, purchasing two Yazidi girls as slaves, and torturing and assaulting them began on Monday, May 19, in the southern German city of Munich.
At the start of the trial, defendant Asia R.A. hid her face behind a folder and wore a headscarf, but quickly removed it, revealing her flowing black hair. Defendant Tuana S. covered his face with a piece of paper cut to reveal only his eyes. He was trembling as he entered the courtroom and sat hunched over the table, claiming that he had been mistreated at Gablingen Prison and was unfit to stand trial.
The court temporarily adjourned the session to assess the defendant’s fitness to appear, and a medical examiner confirmed his fitness to stand trial. A court spokesperson stated that the torture allegations would be subject to a separate investigation. It should be noted that Gablingen Prison has been under investigation for some time regarding allegations of staff assaults on prisoners.
Were Yazidi children exploited?
The prosecution accuses defendants Twana S. and Asia R. A. of enslaving and abusing two Yazidi girls while with ISIS in Syria and Iraq. The indictment details the torture the children endured solely because of their religious background.
The Yazidis are an ethnic religious minority with ancient roots in northern Iraq. In 2014, ISIS labeled them “infidels” and subjected them to campaigns of displacement, enslavement, and mass killing, particularly in the Sinjar region. Children were also victims of this systematic violence. Germany has recognized these crimes as genocide, which explains why the defendants are being tried in Munich.
Details of the charges
Between 2015 and 2017, the couple allegedly kidnapped and abused the two girls. According to the indictment, five-year-old Ikhlas was purchased in 2015 from a market in the Iraqi city of Mosul and subsequently forced to perform housework and memorize Islamic prayers. Her freedom was severely restricted, and she was subjected to beatings, humiliation, and even scalding.
The second child, “Alia,” was 12 years old and was purchased in 2017 from a military base in the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor. She will testify in the coming days.
According to the prosecution, the girls were raped multiple times—with both defendants participating. In one instance, the defendant was cleaning a room upstairs with “Alia.” She then asked her to take a shower, dress nicely, and let her hair down. She gave her makeup, then sent her to “Twana S.”, who was waiting for her. He tied her up and sexually assaulted her without using contraception.
While the indictment was being read, Asia R.A. shook her head several times in rejection of what was being said.
Ultimately, the fates of the two girls were separated: Alia was freed in 2018 after her family paid an estimated $12,000. She is expected to testify at the trial. Ikhlas’s fate, however, remains unknown to this day.
Background of the accused
The investigation also focuses on how the accused, “Twana S.”, became radicalized. He entered Germany in the early 2000s as an asylum seeker from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He initially lived a normal life, but later became radicalized in a Salafist mosque. He later met his wife in ISIS-controlled areas, with whom he had two children.
In 2018, the couple returned to Bavaria and later separated. Tuana S. was sentenced to more than four years in prison for joining ISIS and receiving combat training. During his initial trial, he appeared deeply emotional.
But in April 2024, he was arrested again after new allegations emerged regarding the two Yazidi girls. They were arrested in the cities of Rot and Regensburg.