An Iraqi court has sentenced a wife of the late Islamic State leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, to death for her involvement with the group and detaining Yazidi women in her home, according to the Iraqi judiciary. The woman’s name was not disclosed.
The Supreme Judicial Council in Iraq stated that the Yazidi women were kidnapped by Islamic State gangs in the Sinjar district and held prisoner in the woman’s house in Mosul. She is currently in Iraqi custody.
A court official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the woman was sentenced to death by hanging for crimes against humanity, genocide against the Yazidi people, and terrorism. This sentence must be ratified by an Iraqi appeal court to become final.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed in November 2019 during a U.S. special forces raid in Syria, led the Islamic State and declared himself “caliph” of all Muslims. The group controlled large areas of Iraq and Syria from 2014-2017 before being defeated by U.S.-led forces.
