A French judge has ordered Sonia Mejri, a former wife of an emir of the Islamic State (IS) armed group, to stand trial for genocide and crimes against humanity, reports RFI.
The 35-year-old, originally from southern France, is accused of enslaving a teenage Yazidi girl in Syria in 2015 while living with her ex-husband Abdelnasser Benyoucef, a key figure in IS’s external operations.
Benyoucef is believed to be dead, though an arrest warrant has been issued for him.
The investigating judge has ordered a trial for Benyoucef on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and complicity in these crimes, as well as directing a criminal terrorist association.
Sonia Mejri's lawyer, has reportedly disputed the charges throughout the pre-trial investigation.
According to the committal order, the judge has requested that the former couple be tried before a specially composed jury court for slavery, imprisonment, torture, rape or complicity in rape, persecution and inhuman acts committed against the Yazidi minority.