A Swedish court on Tuesday sentenced 52-year-old Lina Ishaq to 12 years in prison for genocide, crimes against humanity, and gross war crimes against Yazidi women and children in Syria. The Stockholm District Court ruled that Ishaq’s actions, which took place between 2014 and 2016, amounted to an “exceptionally serious violation” of human rights.
Ishaq, originally from Halmstad in Sweden, travelled to Syria in 2013 with her family and joined the Islamic State (ISIS). During her time in Raqqa, she imprisoned three Yazidi women and six children in her home, subjecting them to severe mistreatment, including torture and enslavement, before selling them to the extremist group.
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“Her actions were part of a systematic attack aimed at eradicating the Yazidi people,” the court stated. Thousands of Yazidis, a religious minority native to eastern Syria and northern Iraq, were executed, abducted, and forced into slavery on 3 and 4 August 2014 by ISIS, leading to widespread displacement and the enslavement of Yazidi women and children—atrocities the United Nations has recognised as genocide.
Four Yazidi survivors testified in court, detailing the abuse they endured under Ishaq’s captivity. The court also ordered her to pay approximately 14,000 euros in compensation to each of the eight victims.
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This case marks Sweden’s first-ever conviction for genocide. Ishaq is already serving a six-year prison sentence for allowing her 12-year-old son to be recruited as a child soldier for ISIS. The boy later died in battle at the age of 16.
To #ISIS #Daesh members everywhere, but especially in #Europe . If you committed crimes against #Yezidi #Yazidi community, Western countries are not a safe haven for war criminals. Male or female, if you committed those crimes, you will face justice, sooner or later.
— Free Yezidi Foundation (@Free_Yezidi) February 11, 2025
The Free Yezidi Foundation (FYF) played a crucial role in this landmark case by providing expert testimony during the trial. FYF expressed its gratitude towards Swedish prosecutors, police, and judges for their dedication in ensuring justice for Yazidi survivors. The foundation emphasised that this conviction sends a clear message to ISIS members, particularly in Europe, that there will be no safe haven for war criminals.
