A Brussels court has found Belgian jihadi Sammy Djedou guilty of genocide against the Yazidi minority in Iraq and Syria, marking a historic first for the country.
Djedou, a former Islamic State fighter, was long believed to have been killed in Syria after the Pentagon reported his death. But with no official confirmation ever reaching Belgian authorities, he was tried in absentia in Belgium’s first case involving mass atrocities committed against the Yazidi community.
The court ruled that Djedou was guilty of genocide for his role from 2014 onwards in IS’s campaign to wipe out the Yazidis. He was also convicted of crimes against humanity, including the rape and sexual enslavement of Yazidi women.
The verdict makes Belgium only the fourth country in the world to secure a genocide conviction linked to the Yazidi atrocities, following rulings in Germany in 2021, the Netherlands in 2024 and Sweden earlier this year. France is expected to hold a similar trial in 2027.
Throughout the hearings, the federal prosecutor and lawyers for two Yazidi survivors stressed the historic importance of the judgment. The entire trial was filmed for archival purposes.
The case was made possible by a resolution passed in the Belgian Parliament on 15 July 2021, calling for official recognition and prosecution of the genocide carried out by ISIS. Lawmakers urged the government to help the judiciary identify Belgian nationals responsible for crimes against the Yazidis.
Belgium's Assize Court has dealt with international humanitarian law cases before, notably involving Belgian citizens linked to the 1994 genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda. However, this is the first time it has ruled on crimes carried out by ISIS against the Yazidi population.
