Swedish National Sentenced for Genocide Against Yazidis

Lina Ishaq becomes the first person in Sweden to face charges related to the crimes committed against the Yazidi community, reflecting broader international accountability efforts.

A Swedish woman, Lina Ishaq, aged 52, has been handed a 12-year prison sentence after being convicted of genocide and war crimes against the Yazidi people stemming from her involvement with the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) in Syria. The Stockholm District Court determined that Ishaq held three Yazidi women and six Yazidi children as slaves between 2014 and 2016, making her the first individual in Sweden to be tried for IS's crimes against the Yazidi minority.

Ishaq's journey into the IS ranks began in 2013 when she relocated her family to Syria. She is already serving sentences related to taking her two-year-old son to Syria and for failing to stop IS from enlisting her 12-year-old son as a child soldier—a boy who tragically lost his life in 2017 at the age of 16. Evidence presented in court revealed that Ishaq subjected her captives to forced veiling and coerced them into practicing Islam while also physically assaulting them.

Judge Maria Ulfsdotter Klang described Ishaq's actions as instrumental to the extensive enslavement operations perpetrated by IS against Yazidi women and children. She stressed the independent role Ishaq played in the enslavement and trafficking of her victims.

The Yazidis, an ancient religious minority centered in Iraq's Sinjar region, faced a brutal genocidal campaign from IS, which invaded their communities in August 2014. In the years that followed, approximately 5,000 Yazidis were murdered, and around half a million displaced, with thousands more captured and enslaved. The UN has reported systematic torture and sexual violence targeting these vulnerable populations as part of IS's strategy.

Born in Iraq to a Christian family and later emigrating to Sweden, Ishaq converted to Islam before marrying. She was among approximately 300 Swedish individuals, a significant number of whom were women, who joined IS. Following the decline of IS's caliphate in 2017, Ishaq fled to Turkey, where she was later extradited to Sweden in 2020.

The Yazidi community in Sweden, now numbering around 6,000 individuals, has been watching this prosecution closely. Dawood Khalaf, chairman of the Yazidi association in Skaraborg, noted that Ishaq's trial has fostered a renewed trust between Yazidis and Swedish authorities. He expressed hope that the prosecution could encourage victims to come forward without fear of retribution from IS.

Despite the conviction, Ishaq's lawyer, Mikael Westerlund, stated that she continues to refute the charges and may appeal the court's decision.