Swedish authorities have charged Lina Laina Ishaq, a 52-year-old Swedish citizen, with genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes for her alleged role in torturing and enslaving Yazidi women and children in Syria. This marks Sweden’s first trial involving Islamic State (IS) crimes against the Yazidi minority.
Ishaq is accused of committing these crimes from 2014 to 2016 in Raqqa, Syria, where IS held power. Prosecutors allege she held nine Yazidi captives, including children, in her home for up to seven months, treating them as slaves and subjecting them to severe abuse. She is also accused of selling people to IS, knowing they risked death or sexual abuse.
In 2017, when the Islamic State’s reign began to collapse, Ishaq fled from Raqqa and was captured by Syrian Kurdish troops. She managed to escape to Turkey where she was arrested with her son and two other children. She was then extradited from Turkey to Sweden.
“This is the first time IS attacks on the Yazidi minority have been tried in Sweden,” Senior Prosecutor Reena Devgun said. The case was built with evidence from UNITAD, the UN team investigating IS atrocities.
Ishaq denies all charges. Her trial is set to begin on October 7, with large portions to be held behind closed doors.
In 2021, Ishaq was previously convicted in Sweden for taking her son to IS-controlled Syria, a trial where she was never identified by name. This new trial represents an important step towards justice for the Yazidi community, which has long sought accountability for the genocide committed by IS.
