Overview
- French jihadist Sabri Essid is being tried in absentia for genocide and crimes against humanity tied to attacks on Yazidis between 2014 and 2016.
- With no proof of his reported 2018 death, the court deems him a fugitive and is proceeding before three professional judges without a jury.
- Investigating judges allege he bought Yazidi captives, imposed sexual slavery, carried out repeated rapes, and inflicted deprivation of water and food.
- Three Yazidi women are registered as civil parties, two are due to testify about their captivity, and Essid’s wife is slated to appear as a witness.
- On the opening day, investigators detailed ISIS’s organized system of enslavement, and further Yazidi‑genocide cases are expected in France, including a related Paris trial anticipated in 2027.