Name withheld – German national
Context
Ongoing proceedings for war crimes committed in Syria
Type of jurisdiction
Active personality
Suspect
German national
Country of residence of suspect
Germany
Charges
War crimes against property and other rights; membership in a foreign terrorist organization
Current status
Indicted; on trial
Facts
According to the indictment, the defendant, then a tenth-grade high school student, left Germany in December 2014 to travel to Syria and join the Islamic State (ISIS).
She married a German-Tunisian ISIS fighter, with whom she had three children and moved into various apartments that ISIS had illegally appropriated and made available to its followers free of charge. The defendant allegedly supported her husband and thus enabled him to participate in hostilities. In addition to housing, they are said to have received financial benefits of up to USD 150 per month from ISIS.
During her stay in Syria, the defendant allegedly had access to weapons of war owned by her husband, namely a Kalashnikov assault rifle with ammunition and two hand grenades.
Procedure
After her capture by Kurdish forces in 2019, the defendant and her children were returned to Germany by officials of the Federal Criminal Police Office in March 2022. Upon arrival in Germany, she was arrested and has been in custody since 31 March 2022.
On 11 August 2022, the attorney general of Naumburg indicted the defendant for war crimes against property and other rights, and membership in a foreign terrorist organization.
On 23 September 2022, the Higher Regional Court of Naumburg admitted these charges to trial, opened the trial and decided to continue the pre-trial detention. In addition, the Court ordered that the trial be conducted in non-public session.
