Swedish Syriac Muslim-convert woman sentenced to 12 years for war crimes committed against Yezidis in Syria

STOCKHOLM — A Swedish woman has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for committing war crimes against the Yezidi people during her involvement with the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria.

Lina Ishaq, born in 1972 in Iraq and of Syriac origin, had been living in Halmstad, Sweden. A former medical assistant and football player, she converted to Islam and later embraced extremist ideology, becoming an active member of ISIS.

In 2013, she traveled to Syria with her five children, where she married an ISIS fighter, who was subsequently killed. During her time with the group, Ishaq was involved in the enslavement of nine Yezidi individuals, including six children and three women. She detained them, forced them into slavery, subjected them to hard labor, and participated in campaigns of persecution, torture, and forced conversions to Islam.

The court found her guilty of war crimes, including enslavement and inhumane treatment. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison, a reduction from the proposed 16-year sentence. In addition to her prison term, Ishaq was ordered to pay €14,000 in compensation to each of the nine Yezidi victims.