Dutch Woman Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Keeping a Slave in Syria

A court in the Netherlands on Wednesday, December 12, sentenced a woman to 10 years in prison for joining ISIS in Syria and enslaving an Yazidi woman. Prosecutors had requested an 8-year sentence for this Dutch woman, but the regional court in The Hague emphasized that slavery as a 'crime against humanity' should carry a harsher penalty. The judges stated that evidence clearly shows that 33-year-old Hasna Arab, who lived in Raqqa with her young son and husband, an ISIS member, participated in the enslavement of an Yazidi woman between 2015 and 2016. The Yazidi woman, whose full name has not been disclosed, was forced to work in the couple's home and was also sexually abused there. The judges noted that Hasna Arab was aware of the dire situation of this woman but worsened her condition by ordering her to do household chores and care for her son. Hasna Arab was accused of slavery by two women, but the court stated that there was insufficient evidence regarding the other woman. The court emphasized that Hasna Arab knew that what was happening in her home was part of a broader and systematic attack on the Yazidi community and considered this type of 'crime against humanity' as one of the 'worst possible international crimes.' ISIS controlled parts of Iraq and Syria from 2014 to 2017 and was defeated in its last strongholds in Syria in 2019. Nevertheless, this terrorist group still has a presence in some areas of Syria. The Yazidis are a Kurdish-speaking religious minority who were deemed 'infidels' by the Islamist group ISIS. ISIS killed more than 3,000 Yazidis, enslaved 7,000 Yazidi women and girls, and displaced most of the 550,000-strong Yazidi community from their ancestral homes in northern Iraq. Hasna Arab was also convicted for joining a terrorist organization, committing terrorist acts, and endangering the life of her young child. She had previously told the court that in 2015, she moved with her son from the Netherlands to ISIS-controlled areas in Syria to try to improve her life. Hasna Arab denied actively participating in the enslavement of women and claimed that the Yazidi victims were lying about her ordering them and forcing them to pray. Hasna Arab was repatriated to the Netherlands by the Dutch government in 2022.