IS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's Widow Sentenced To Death By Iraqi Court

IS is accused of launching a series of attacks against the Yazidi religious minority in Iraq. They captured thousands, and subjected women and girls to sexual abuse and human trafficking.

An Iraqi court has sentenced to death the first wife of slain Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi for working with the jihadist group in crimes committed against Yazidi women, the country’s judiciary announced on Wednesday.

According to the BBC, an interior ministry official identified her as Asma Mohammed aka Umm Hudaifa.

The IS is accused of launching a series of attacks against the Yazidi religious minority in Iraq. They captured and killed thousands of members of the community, and women and girls were subjected to sexual abuse and human trafficking. The Yazidis kidnapped and raped by IS members have filed a civil suit in Iraq, accusing Umm Hudaifa of colluding in the crimes, reported BBC.  

A statement by Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council said the Karkh Criminal Court had sentenced Hudaifa for “detaining Yazidi women in her home” and facilitating their abduction by “the terrorist gangs in Sinjar district.”

In 2018, Umm Hudaifa was detained while living in southern Turkey under a false name, and was extradited to Iraq this year in February. According to AP, a senior Iraqi security official said another wife of al-Baghdadi and his daughter were also extradited from Turkey to Iraq and sentenced to life in prison. These sentences were given a week ago but were announced on Wednesday, the report added. 

In an interview with the BBC, Umm Hudaifa had denied any involvement with al-Baghdadi's barbarities, and said she had challenged her husband about having “the blood of those innocent people” on his hands. 

She added that she felt ashamed and was very sorry about what happened to Yazidi women and children. 

Survivors have complained about a lack of accountability for IS members, and criticised the closure of a UN probe into IS crimes at the request of the Iraqi government. 

In June 2014, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared large parts of Iraq and Syria as the militant group’s caliphate. In 2019, he was killed in a US raid in Syria, which was a major blow to the group that also lost most of the areas it previously controlled. However, some cells continue to carry out attacks.