French Jihadist Sentenced to Life for ISIS Crimes Against Yazidis
The Paris Assizes Court concluded its ruling Friday, officially sentencing Sabri Essid to life imprisonment and formally recognizing the crimes committed against the Yezidi minority by ISIS between 2014 and 2016.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - A French national, Sabri Essid, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday by the Paris Assizes Court for his role in atrocities committed by the Islamic State group against Iraq’s Yezidi minority, AFP reported.
The ruling marks the first case in France addressing crimes against Yezidis during ISIS’s occupation of parts of Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2016.
Essid, born in 1984 in Toulouse and known among militants as “Abu Dujana the Frenchman,” was tried in absentia and found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, and complicity in ISIS offenses.
Presiding Judge Marc Sommerer stated that Essid “took part in the genocide perpetrated by Islamic State” and became part of a “criminal network repeatedly buying and reselling a very large number of Yazidi victims,” singling out the Yezidis for their religious beliefs.
The court noted that ISIS regarded the Yezidi community, adherents of a pre-Islamic faith, as heretics and specifically targeted them for violence, forced displacement, and sexual enslavement.
Two Yazidi women testified during the trial, recounting abductions during the August 2014 attack on Mount Sinjar, separation from family members whose whereabouts remain unknown, and subsequent sale into slavery along with their children.
Both witnesses described being forced into concubinage and daily abuse.
Sophie Havard, the Paris Public Prosecutor, emphasized that although Essid may have died in Syria, he remained a key operative in the network responsible for orchestrating these crimes against the Yezidi population.
Havard requested the maximum sentence to reflect the gravity of his offenses and the systematic nature of the acts committed.
The trial underscores France’s commitment to prosecuting its nationals involved in international terrorist networks and human rights violations.
The Paris Assizes Court ruling highlights the broader legal and moral responsibility of foreign fighters who joined ISIS and perpetrated atrocities in Iraq and Syria.
Essid’s conviction comes amid ongoing international concern over the treatment of Yezidis during ISIS occupation, including forced displacement, sexual slavery, and family separations.
Testimony presented during the trial illustrated the scale of abuses, documenting the abductions, coercion, and exploitation endured by the Yezidi community. Prosecutors argued that Essid’s involvement in these operations was integral to ISIS’s enforcement of ethnic cleansing and other crimes against humanity.
The court also highlighted the systematic targeting of the Yezidis by ISIS due to their religious identity, reinforcing the classification of the acts as genocide.
Essid’s role in the purchase, sale, and trafficking of victims placed him among the principal operatives executing these offenses, according to court statements.
French authorities have maintained that prosecuting nationals involved in international conflict zones is crucial for justice and deterrence.
Essid’s life sentence represents a legal precedent for prosecutions in absentia related to ISIS crimes and marks the first time France has held a citizen accountable for genocide against Yezidis.