Sonia M., a former wife of an ISIS leader and a returnee from Syria, was charged in France on March 14 with crimes against humanity and genocide, suspected of enslaving a Yazidi teenager in Syria.
The Yazidi woman, now 25 years old, was 16 when she was purchased by Abdul Nasser Ben Youssef, also known as “Abu Muthanna,” ISIS’s head of external operations. Abdul Nasser Ben Youssef is currently targeted by an arrest warrant, according to a source close to the investigation, and was also convicted in absentia in France for a thwarted attack in 2015 in Villejuif, near Paris.
The Yazidi woman reported daily mistreatment, according to details from the investigation revealed by Le Parisien on Saturday and reviewed by Agence France-Presse (AFP). In a hearing held in February, she claimed she was held for over a month in Syria in spring 2015, unable to drink, eat, or bathe without Sonia M.’s permission. She accused Sonia M. of physically abusing her twice and being aware that her husband was raping her.
On March 14, during questioning by a counter-terrorism investigating judge, Sonia M. denied committing any abuse and revealed “one rape incident” by her former husband. She claimed that the teenager was free to leave her room, eat what she wanted, and go to the bathroom when needed. She also stated that she did not carry a gun, contrary to the Yazidi woman’s claims.
The teenager was kidnapped in August 2014 in Iraq and sold to several extremist families. Sonia M. claimed her husband “did not ask her opinion,” asserting that she did not like giving orders.
Initially charged with complicity in September 2022 according to a judicial source, Sonia M. was ultimately charged as a perpetrator, following the request of the National Anti-Terror Prosecutor’s Office.
The emergence of ISIS in Iraq and Syria significantly altered the dynamics of the region from early 2014. Known initially as an offshoot of al-Qaida in Iraq, ISIS’s rise was characterized by rapid territorial gains and extreme brutality, which included executions, forced slavery, and other atrocities that drew global condemnation and intervention.
ISIS took control of key locations such as Fallujah and Mosul, leveraging both military victories and strategic alliances with local tribes to consolidate power. The group declared itself the Islamic State in areas across northern Syria and Iraq, aiming to establish a caliphate governed by strict Islamic law. This led to significant violence against diverse ethnic and religious groups, particularly the Yazidis, who suffered mass killings and were subjected to forced conversions and slavery.
The international response included forming a global coalition led by the United States, which conducted airstrikes and supported local ground forces. Despite these efforts, ISIS continued to execute highly publicized acts of violence to maintain influence and instill fear.