The French judiciary has formally charged a woman, identified only as “Sonia M,” with crimes against humanity and genocide. Sonia M, a French national and former spouse of an ISIS leader, is accused of enslaving a Yazidi teenager during her time in Syria.
The victim, now 25 years old, was only 16 when she was purchased by Abdel Nasser bin Youssef, also known as “Abi Muthanna,” who led ISIS’s external operations. Currently, there is an outstanding arrest warrant against him, and he was convicted in absentia for a thwarted 2015 attack near Paris, as reported by Agence France-Presse.
Details from the investigation, disclosed by Le Parisien, reveal that the victim endured daily mistreatment. In a testimony last February, she described being held captive for over a month in spring 2015, where she was not allowed to eat, drink, or bathe without Sonia M’s permission. She also accused Sonia M of physical assault and complicity in her repeated rape by Sonia M’s husband.
During a March 14 interrogation, Sonia M denied all allegations of abuse and contested the victim’s statement that she was restricted to her room, asserting that the teenager had freedom within the home. She also refuted claims of carrying a firearm and denied any involvement in giving orders, stating that her husband acted without her consent.
Initially charged with complicity, the charges against Sonia M were escalated to direct perpetration by the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office in September 2022.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
