Prison sentence for crimes committed in Syria

Dit persbericht is ook te lezen in het Nederlands- U verlaat Rechtspraak.nl.

In 2015, the woman – together with her minor son –  traveled from Enschede to Syria in order to settle in the caliphate of the Islamic State (IS). There, she married an IS fighter, with whom she started a family. For 4 years she lived together with her family in the conflict zone, until in 2019 she ended up in refugee camps with her children and returned to the Netherlands in 2022.

The crime against humanity of slavery

During her stay in Syria, the woman, together with another person, had a Yazidi woman enslaved by IS perform household tasks for about a month. As a result, the Court of Appeal, like the District Court in first instance, found proven that the woman was guilty of co-perpetrating slavery as a crime against humanity.

Helpless condition of the child

By residing for years in the IS conflict zone with her minor child, the woman exposed him to the associated dangers. According to the Court of Appeal, she thereby left him in a helpless condition.

First instance

In 2024, The Hague District Court sentenced the woman to 10 years in prison. Both the woman and the Public Prosecution Service appealed this verdict.

Prison sentence and compensation

On appeal, the Public Prosecution Service requested a 10-year prison sentence. The Hague Court of Appeal imposed a prison sentence of 9 years, taking into account the woman’s diminished responsibility. Unlike the District Court, the Court of Appeal awarded compensation of € 15,000 to the Yazidi woman.