On 14, 16 and 17 October 2024, the substantive hearings in the criminal trial against Hasna A. will commence before the WIM (International Crimes Act) Chamber of the district court of The Hague in the Netherlands. This is the first criminal case in the Netherlands in which an Accused is prosecuted on the basis of (secondary) universal jurisdiction for international crimes committed against Yazidis by IS in its so-called 'caliphate'.
The Accused is charged with traveling to Syria in 2015 to settle in that so-called 'caliphate' and to join IS, which are criminal offenses because IS is classified as a terrorist organization. She is also charged with bringing her underaged child with her to Syria, thereby putting him in a helpless state. In addition, the Accused is also charged with two international crimes: namely that when she was living in that so-called 'caliphate' in 2015 and 2016, she herself used two Yazidi women as (household) slaves. The slavery charges have been brought as crimes against humanity.
The two Yazidi women are represented in this case by lawyers Brechtje Vossenberg and Barbara van Straaten as victims' counsel. On Wednesday 16 October 2024, the clients will exercise the 'right to speak' in accordance with their rights as participating victims (survivors) in this trial.
Date: Monday 14 October, Wednesday 16 October and
Thursday 17 October 2024
Time: from 09:30 AM (CET) onwards
Address: Judicial Complex Schiphol (JCS),
Duizendbladweg 100, 1171 VA Badhoevedorp, the
Netherlands
The trial hearings are public. Furthermore, a live connection will be made available via the court, with simultaneous translation in Kurmanji. For more information about this, you may contact the Yazidi Legal Network (info@yazidilegalnetwork.org ).
For more information and backgrounds see:
- Nuhanović Foundation en Yazidi Legal Network, 'FAQs: The Hasna A. case' (in English, Swedish and Arabic)
- Yazda, 'The Hasna A. Trial – The beginning of a landmark case in the Netherlands for crimes committed by a Dutch national against Yazidi women' (in English and Arabic)
Media (in Dutch) (with updates):
- TV report, EénVandaag, 'Voor het eerst staat een Nederlandse IS-vrouw voor de rechter voor slavernij in het kalifaat: "Er is geen juiste straf"' (broadcasted on: 12 October 2024)
- TV report, Nieuwsuur (broadcasted on: 13 October 2024), from time code 21:45 onwards
- S. Schoonhoven, 'Unieke Nederlandse rechtszaak rond jezidi-slavinnen: 'Ze hebben afschuwelijke dingen meegemaakt' (Telegraaf, 13 October 2024)
- A. Kouwenhoven, 'Syriëganger Hasna A. was een slaaf, zegt ze, net als de jezidi-vrouwen' (NRC Handelsblad, 14 October 2024)
- J. Meischke, 'Ontkenning van Syriëganger Hasna A. voelt voor jezidi-vrouwen als "trap na"' (NRC Handelsblad, 16 October 2024)
- A. Stoffelen, ''Mevrouw Z.' vertelt hoe zij is uitgebuit door IS'er Hasna A. Die ontkent: "Ik deed ook de afwas"' (Volkskrant, 16 October 2024)
Originally published 12 October 2024.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
