Dutch Woman Sentenced to 10 Years for Enslaving Yazidi Woman While with ISIS

A Dutch court in The Hague has sentenced Hasna Aarab, a 33-year-old woman, to 10 years in prison for joining ISIS in Syria and participating in the enslavement of a Yazidi woman, identified as Z. The court emphasized the severity of slavery as a crime against humanity, surpassing the 8-year sentence requested by prosecutors.

Details of the Crime

• Enslavement and Abuse: Aarab actively participated in enslaving Z. between 2015 and 2016 while living in Raqqa with her son and ISIS-affiliated husband. Z. was forced to work as a servant in their household and was also subjected to sexual abuse.
• Exploitation: Aarab ordered Z. to perform household chores and care for her son, fully aware of Z.'s dire situation and the broader systemic attack on the Yazidi community.

The court declared, “These types of crimes against humanity are among the worst international crimes possible.”

Wider Context

• ISIS's Atrocities Against Yazidis: From 2014 to 2017, ISIS committed widespread atrocities against the Yazidi community, including killing over 3,000 individuals, enslaving 7,000 women and girls, and displacing most of the 550,000-strong community from northern Iraq.
• Historical Prejudice: ISIS viewed Yazidis, an ancient religious minority, as devil worshippers, justifying their brutal persecution.

Additional Convictions

Aarab was also found guilty of:

• Joining a terrorist organization.
• Enabling acts of terrorism.
• Endangering her son’s life by bringing him into a war zone.

Trial and Denial

Aarab denied her active participation in the enslavement and accused the Yazidi women of lying. She claimed she moved to ISIS-held Syria in 2015 to change her life. However, the court found overwhelming evidence against her.

Aarab was repatriated by the Dutch government in 2022 after being held in Kurdish detention camps following ISIS's defeat in 2019.

The sentencing underscores international efforts to hold individuals accountable for crimes committed during ISIS’s reign of terror.