The trial of a German woman who allegedly joined the "Islamic State" terror group in Iraq has begun in Munich. She's accused of the war crime of letting an enslaved Yazidi girl die of thirst
A German woman suspected of traveling to Iraq to join "Islamic State" (IS) appeared in a Munich court on Tuesday to face a string of charges, including committing a war crime.
The defendant, identified as 27-year-old Jennifer W., is accused of allowing a 5-year-old Yazidi captive to die of thirst by leaving her chained up outside in the 45-degree heat.
The accused faces life in prison if found guilty of joining a terror group, weapons offenses, war crimes and murder.
The trial was adjourned soon after it began under tight security at the Munich Higher Regional Court, and is expected to resume on April 29.
'Agonizing death' in the scorching heat
Prosecutors say Jennifer W. left Germany in 2014 to join the IS extremist group in Iraq. Once there, she and her IS husband allegedly bought the Yazidi girl and her mother as household slaves, keeping them captive in their Mosul home.
"After the girl fell ill and wet her mattress, the husband of the accused chained her up outside as punishment and let the child die an agonizing death of thirst in the scorching heat," prosecutors charge. "The accused allowed her husband to do so and did nothing to save the girl."
Prominent human rights lawyer Amal Clooney is part of the team representing the deceased Yazidi girl's mother.
According to Yazda, a US-based Yazidi rights organization, the Munich case marks the first indictment of international crimes committed by IS members against the Yazidi religious minority.
