Cooperation of joint investigation team into crimes against Ezidi victims in Syria and Iraq leads to first two convictions

Extensive cooperation between Sweden, France, the Netherlands and Belgium in a Eurojust-supported joint investigation team (JIT) into crimes against Ezidi victims in Syria and Iraq has led to the first two convictions of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs). This is the outcome of an interim evaluation of the JIT, carried out at Eurojust. To continue investigations and prosecutions, the JIT partners stress the importance of the continued availability of information and evidence via the United Nations and access to specific databases. With Eurojust’s support, the JIT was set up in October 2021 by the judicial authorities of Sweden and France, with Belgium joining in October 2022 and the Netherlands in June 2023. The main aim of this judicial cooperation is to identify FTFs linked to ISIL (Da’esh) who have returned from Syria or Iraq and were involved in core international crimes, mainly perpetrated against Ezidi victims. Core international crimes are crimes such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Netherlands had its first conviction for crimes against the Ezidi in December 2024. A Dutch citizen was convicted of crimes against humanity for the enslavement of a female Ezidi victim, participation in ISIL (Da’esh), promoting crimes with a terrorist objective and abandoning the victim’s son in a helpless position in a war zone. She was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment and identified through the work of the JIT. Recently, a Swedish citizen was sentenced to...