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Syria: French returnee to face trial for genocide against Yazidi minority
Sonia Mejri, a 36-year-old French woman who returned from Syria, will become the first French national to stand trial for genocide. She is accused of enslaving a 16-year-old Yazidi girl during her stay in Syria in the spring of 2015, while living under the control of the Islamic State group (IS).
The Court of Cassation rejected Mejri’s final appeal on October 1, confirming her referral to the Special Assize Court in Paris. In addition to the genocide charge, she will also face accusations of complicity in crimes against humanity and terrorist-related offenses.
According to the investigative magistrate, Mejri and her former husband, Abelnasser Benyoucef—an IS emir—held the Yazidi teenager captive, subjecting her to sexual violence and severe deprivation. Mejri is accused of being the “guardian of the imprisonment,” as she possessed the apartment key and allegedly carried a weapon to prevent the victim’s escape.
Her lawyer, Nabil Boudi, maintains her innocence, describing the case as “fragile” and the charges as “deeply uncertain.” The trial will mark a significant legal precedent, as it is the first time a French returnee from Syria faces prosecution for genocide against the Yazidi community, a Kurdish-speaking ethno-religious minority persecuted by the Islamic State.
