The IS trial: Women testify about violence and oppression

The Police's war crimes group has traveled the world over in search of witnesses and victims in the investigation against a Swedish woman suspected of having held slaves in Syria. Getting vulnerable individuals to tell their stories has been difficult. Many victims of war crimes want to forget and move on, says group leader Patricia Rakic Arle.

» Updated: September 24 2024

» Published: September 19 2024

The IS trial: Women testify about violence and oppression
Photo: AP/TT

The investigation that led to Thursday's indictment for genocide, crimes against humanity, and grave war crimes against the 52-year-old woman from Western Sweden has been ongoing for 2.5 years.

The plaintiffs belong to the Yazidi minority, which the terrorist sect IS committed genocide against. According to the indictment, the woman, who is already serving a prison sentence for grave war crimes in Syria, had them as slaves in her home in al-Raqqah, which was then controlled by IS.

For the war crimes group at Noa, there have been two major challenges during the investigation: first, finding victims and witnesses, and then getting them to testify.

In this case, it has been extra difficult, since many of our victims are very vulnerable and extremely traumatized, says Patricia Rakic Arle, group leader of the investigation group.

UN assistance

To find the individuals, they have, among other things, received help from collaborative partners that the police traditionally work with in war crimes cases, such as UN organizations and investigative authorities in other countries. In Iraq, they have also received help from the UN organization Unitad to conduct interviews.

The Swedish police have also traveled abroad on several occasions to conduct interviews with victims and witnesses themselves.

We have been to several countries both within and outside Europe.

Not everyone they met was willing to participate, she explains.

It's quite common that when we finally locate people, they absolutely do not want to participate, or their relatives do not want them to. It can be a new trauma to be interviewed and participate in a trial.

Traveling to Sweden

However, several women have agreed to participate and will travel to Sweden to testify in court.

Many people still want to tell their story, they want justice for themselves and their people.

What have they told about?

They have told about how they were treated by the suspected woman: humiliated, insulted, abused. They have told that they were not allowed to speak their language or practice their religion and were held captive under slave-like conditions.

The accused woman denies the charges.

Crimes against humanity can, for example, consist of murder, rape, torture, or forced labor, which are carried out as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a group of civilians.

Genocide includes the same type of acts, but with the intention of completely or partially destroying a ethnic group.

Tags

TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

Suspected Murder in Hässleholm: One
1 MIN READ

Suspected Murder in Hässleholm: One Person Detained

Teenage Girl Stabbed on Bus
1 MIN READ

Teenage Girl Stabbed on Bus in Eslöv; Four Teens Arrested

Ex-Regional Official in Sweden Faces
1 MIN READ

Ex-Regional Official in Sweden Faces Charges in Pension Fund Bribery Case

Shingles Vaccine Linked to Lower
2 MIN READ

Shingles Vaccine Linked to Lower Dementia Risk in Older Adults

Critics Challenge Proposal to End
3 MIN READ

Critics Challenge Proposal to End Summer Grazing for Swedish Dairy Cows

Sweden Proposes Transparency for Lottery
1 MIN READ

Sweden Proposes Transparency for Lottery Purchases Supporting Parties

Elderly Man's Death in Gullspång
1 MIN READ

Elderly Man's Death in Gullspång Fire Investigated as Suspected Murder

Sweden Tightens Control on Opioids
1 MIN READ

Sweden Tightens Control on Opioids and Hazardous Substances

Sweden Braces for Economic Impact
2 MIN READ

Sweden Braces for Economic Impact from US Tariffs, Government Warns

Swedish Man Faces Arson Charges
1 MIN READ

Swedish Man Faces Arson Charges for House Fire in Norway

Man Charged in Fatal Lund
1 MIN READ

Man Charged in Fatal Lund Knife Attack Linked to Drug Deal

Electric Scooter Accidents Surge by
1 MIN READ

Electric Scooter Accidents Surge by 30 Percent in 2024, Young Riders Most Affected

Skåne Manager Faces Charges for
1 MIN READ

Skåne Manager Faces Charges for Embezzling Millions from Municipalities

Teen Faces Court in Sweden
2 MIN READ

Teen Faces Court in Sweden for Alleged Sect-Linked Knife Attack

Elderly Man Critically Injured in
1 MIN READ

Elderly Man Critically Injured in Kävlinge Villa Fire

Somalia Expels Swedish Aid Chief
1 MIN READ

Somalia Expels Swedish Aid Chief Anna Saleem Högberg

Sweden Proposes Tighter Security at
2 MIN READ

Sweden Proposes Tighter Security at Migration Detention Centers

Swedish Foreign Minister to Discuss
2 MIN READ

Swedish Foreign Minister to Discuss Journalist's Detention with Turkey

Casino Cosmopol in Stockholm to
1 MIN READ

Casino Cosmopol in Stockholm to Close Following Riksdag Decision

Sweden's Malmer Stenergard to Discuss
2 MIN READ

Sweden's Malmer Stenergard to Discuss Journalist's Detention with Turkey

Parents in Sweden Jailed for
1 MIN READ

Parents in Sweden Jailed for Locking Children in Basement

75-Year-Old Woman Cleared of Murder
1 MIN READ

75-Year-Old Woman Cleared of Murder Charges in Ale

Bribery Convictions in Sweden See
1 MIN READ

Bribery Convictions in Sweden See Rise in Gross Offenses

Suspect Detained in Norrköping Murder
1 MIN READ

Suspect Detained in Norrköping Murder Investigation

Sabotage Cuts Power to 500
1 MIN READ

Sabotage Cuts Power to 500 Homes in Småland, Police Investigate

Twelve Indicted in Major Scania
1 MIN READ

Twelve Indicted in Major Scania Drug Network Bust

Sun-Seeking App Trend Raises Skin
2 MIN READ

Sun-Seeking App Trend Raises Skin Cancer Concerns in Sweden

Sweden Braces for Year's Warmest
1 MIN READ

Sweden Braces for Year's Warmest Day Before Cold Snap Hits

Online Sect's Influence on Teen
4 MIN READ

Online Sect's Influence on Teen Knife Attacks Faces Court Scrutiny

Swedish Man Sentenced to 10
1 MIN READ

Swedish Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Long-Term Abuse of Relative

Man Critically Injured in Sollefteå
1 MIN READ

Man Critically Injured in Sollefteå Workplace Accident

Child Seriously Injured After Fall
1 MIN READ

Child Seriously Injured After Fall from Window in Stockholm

Sweden's Spring Covid Vaccine Campaign
2 MIN READ

Sweden's Spring Covid Vaccine Campaign Focuses on High-Risk Groups

Stockholm Police Launch Pilot to
2 MIN READ

Stockholm Police Launch Pilot to Curb Violence Against Women

Anna-Karin Hatt Declines Centre Party
1 MIN READ

Anna-Karin Hatt Declines Centre Party Leadership Role

Expert Group to Guide Västra
1 MIN READ

Expert Group to Guide Västra Götaland After Millennium System Setback

Kristersson Calls for Doubling Sweden's
3 MIN READ

Kristersson Calls for Doubling Sweden's Conscription Numbers

Woman in Her 60s Killed
1 MIN READ

Woman in Her 60s Killed in Collision with Truck Near Kristianstad

Three Men Charged in Assault
1 MIN READ

Three Men Charged in Assault and Rape Case in Kristianstad

Sweden Proposes Stricter Housing Rules
3 MIN READ

Sweden Proposes Stricter Housing Rules for New Immigrants