The individual referred to as “Nadine K”, the defendant in this case, is suspected of having journeyed to Syria in 2014 with the intention of joining the Islamic State organization alongside her husband. Tragically, during her time there, a Yazidi woman fell victim to Nadine K’s actions, enduring mistreatment and being coerced into performing domestic chores for the couple.
A German court has handed down a significant judgment, sentencing a 37-year-old woman to nine years and three months in prison for her involvement in perpetrating genocide against the Yezidi people and committing war crimes.
This landmark case revolved around the accused, known as “Nadine K,” who was found guilty of enslaving and subjecting a 22-year-old Yazidi woman to abuse for a period of five years while she was a member of ISIS.
The brave survivor, Naveen Rasho, managed to escape the clutches of the terrorist group and played a crucial role in the prosecution’s case by providing her testimony. Naveen has now shared her harrowing and courageous story, shedding light on the atrocious conditions she endured.
Speaking from her residence in northern Iraq, Naveen recounted the violent circumstances in which she was forced to live.
“We saw everything from beating to fear,” she said.
“They said to us that you need to change your religion and start praying and fasting. Whatever the Muslims do, you need to do it too like reading Quran and memorising it. They were very difficult with us.
“It was very difficult. I would go to sleep very late once I finished the house chores or anything else. I would wake up early.
“The German woman was like a guest. I would do all her work and even look after her children. The room that she slept in, she would not clean it.”
The defendant is suspected of having made a journey to Syria in 2014, alongside her husband, with the intention of joining the Islamic State group. Her husband, who worked as a doctor for ISIS, is currently imprisoned in northeast Syria. During their time there, the accused took on the responsibilities of managing the household, caring for their two daughters, and overseeing the captured women.
In 2015, they relocated to the city of Mosul in Iraq, which had come under the control of ISIS at that time. As the conflict persisted and coalition forces began to reclaim territory and dismantle the terrorist organization, they moved back and forth between Iraq and Syria. Throughout this period, they forcefully attempted to compel the Yazidi woman to renounce her faith.
Ultimately, Kurdish forces apprehended the couple in March 2019. Subsequently, Nadine K was extradited to Germany in 2021 to face legal proceedings.