Brussels, Belgium – A criminal court in Brussels today convicted Sami Giddo, a Belgian national and former member of the Islamic State (ISIS), of genocide and crimes against humanity perpetrated against the Yazidi minority in Iraq and Syria. This landmark case marks the first time Belgium has prosecuted an individual for the collective crimes committed by ISIS against the Yazidi people.
Giddo was tried in absentia due to his presumed death in a US airstrike on Raqqa, Syria, in 2016, as announced by the Pentagon. However, Belgian authorities have not received official confirmation of his death, prompting the judiciary to proceed with the trial to establish legal responsibility for the crimes attributed to him.
The court found Giddo guilty of genocide against the Yazidis as part of ISIS’s campaign that began in 2014. He was also convicted of crimes against humanity, including the rape and sexual enslavement of three Yazidi women between 2014 and 2016. Two of the Yazidi victims testified before the court, detailing the extent of the abuses they suffered at the hands of ISIS members.
Born in Brussels in 1989 to a Belgian mother and an Ivorian father, Giddo converted to Islam at the age of 15 before traveling to Syria in October 2012 to join ISIS. He is believed to have later become a leader in the group’s foreign operations unit, responsible for planning attacks in Europe. In 2021, a Belgian court sentenced him to 13 years in prison for “leading a terrorist group.” His name also surfaced in subsequent trials related to the support networks that helped carry out the Paris attacks on November 13, 2015, which resulted in the deaths of 130 people.
Olivia Venet, the lawyer representing the victims, described the case as “historic for Belgium,” as it is the first time a person has been convicted of genocide against the Yazidis in the country. She emphasized Belgium’s commitment to prosecuting individuals involved in international crimes.
