Amal Clooney lauds German court for conviction of IS member

BERLIN (AP) — High-profile human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad on Monday lauded a German court for convicting a former Islamic State member of aiding and abetting crimes against humanity for her involvement in the enslavement of two Yazidi women.

Clooney called the conviction of Omaima A., whose last name was withheld as is customary in Germany, a “milestone in the fight for justice” for survivors of the atrocities committed by the Islamic State group.

Omaima A., 37, who holds both German and Tunisian citizenship, was sentenced to four years in prison by the Higher Regional Court of Hamburg. A previous prison sentence of 3 1/2 years from October 2020, when she was found guilty of involvement in the enslavement of a Yazidi teenage girl by the same court, was included in last week's verdict.

The defendant can still appeal the verdict.

Clooney, who together with her German co-counsel represented one of the Yazidi victims during the trial, said the sentencing “could not have happened without the incredible courage of Yazidi survivors and the commitment of German prosecutors to holding ISIS members to account for their crimes.”

Murad, who is herself a survivor of atrocities committed by IS, said that, “I commend the German courts for convicting Omaima A."

“Germany’s efforts have begun the process, but when will other nations follow suit? How much longer will we have to wait?” Murad asked.