CIGE welcomes the recent in-absentia conviction of Sabri Essid by a French court for genocide and crimes against humanity committed against the Yezidi community. The proceedings, held over five days in March 2026, mark an important step in ongoing international efforts to ensure accountability for crimes committed by ISIS.

The verdict:

The court sentenced Essid to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of directly perpetrating genocide, through acts causing serious bodily or mental harm, and crimes against humanity, including enslavement, imprisonment, rape, persecution, and other inhumane acts, against two Yezidi women and children in Syria. He was also found guilty of complicity in genocide, through acts causing serious bodily or mental harm, for his role in transferring an enslaved Yezidi woman and her children within Syria. These acts were examined in the context of ISIS’s 2014 attacks and were found to form part of a broader, organized campaign targeting the Yezidi population.

Proceedings were conducted in Essid’s absence, as he is believed to be deceased. Despite this, the case moved forward to ensure judicial recognition of the crimes and to contribute to an official record of the violations.

A collective effort for justice:

The trial brought together multiple layers of evidence:

• Yezidi survivors (civil parties), including a witness from the Kocho massacre, provided direct testimony on the violence and abuse they endured in captivity.

• Civil society organizations such as Yazda and Kinyat, submitted internal ISIS documents demonstrating the systematic sale and resale of Yazidi women and provided expert testimony on the long-term impact of the genocide on the community. Working alongside the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Free Yezidi Foundation (FYF) as civil parties, they provided the essential evidence and survivor testimonies that linked Sabri Essid's personal crimes to the organized ISIS policy of enslavement.

• Former ISIS members, including Essid’s wife, Leila Ouadi, gave insider accounts of his role and the group’s internal structure, alongside testimony on how the slave system operated.

• Investigative experts, gave evidence including the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA) who presented internal IS documents which demonstrated that the enslavement of Yezidis was highly organised and policy driven, rather than random acts of violence alongside a 440 page legal brief on the subject.

Why does this judgment matter?

This case marks the first time that a French national has been convicted of genocide, as well as the first conviction in France for genocide against the Yezidis. It follows other recent convictions of IS members for genocide against Yezidis, including of Taha al-J. in Germany and Lina Ishaq in Sweden, while Sonia M. another French national is due to stand trial in France in March 2027 on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity committed against the Yezidis.

By establishing a definitive judicial record, such cases reinforce the legal recognition of the genocide against the Yazidis and strengthen the application of international criminal law. This demonstrates that while acts of genocide continue to be perpetrated, those responsible can be held to account, ensuring that survivors receive a measure of justice and formal legal acknowledgment rather than allowing these atrocities to be erased from history.

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Photo courtesy of GRC