A German Federal Court on Wednesday struck down an appeal lodged by a 32-year-old German woman who, in 2015, while married to an Islamic State fighter, allowed an enslaved 5-year-old Yazidi girl to die of thirst.
Known publicly as Jessica W., the defendant was sentenced to 14 years in 2021 after being deported back to Germany from Turkey following the nominal defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
The defendant and her husband, Taha Al-J., an Iraqi national, were both found liable for the girl’s death when evidence showed that the girl had been chained to a tree by the husband and left to die in the Iraqi city of Fallujah.
Jessica W. was convicted in the original Frankfurt-based trial of having had the ability to prevent the death while actively deciding to do nothing. She was found guilty of two counts of crimes against humanity through enslavement and one count of having joined a terrorist organization abroad.
Jessica W.'s appeal was denied
Reading the ruling on Wednesday, the court found that the woman’s appeal was “manifestly unfounded” but did not clarify on what grounds the defendant had appealed the sentence.
In the original 2021 trial, Jessica W. had first been given a 10-year sentence, but given the severity of the crimes against humanity, that sentence was increased.