Turkish court frees ISIS militants who kidnapped, auctioned Yazidi girl

Hale Gönültaş / DUVAR

An Ankara court has released all of the three ISIS militants who are on trial for kidnapping a seven-year-old Yazidi girl and then attempting to sell her on an online “slave market” used by ISIS.

The child was rescued from the captivity of ISIS militant militants in Ankara on Feb. 24, and was handed over to officials from the local Family and Social Services Directorate.

On Feb. 27, the 23rd Ankara Heavy Penal Court ruled that two of the militants, known as Anas V. and Nasır H.R., be released under judiciary control.

The court arrested the third ISIS militant, known as Sabah A.H.O., but also ruled for his release during a hearing on June 10 under similar judiciary control measures.

The ISIS militants, who are Iraqi nationals, will appear before the court on Oct. 5 for their next hearing, as the trial continues.

Apart from kidnapping charges, the three suspects face charges of “ISIS membership” and “being among executives” of the group.

During the hearing on June 10, the militant Sabah A.H..O told the court that his brother had “bought” the Yazidi child in 2014 in Iraq, who was 2.5 years old at the time, from the ISIS, and that his brother later died in one of the bombings.

“I have no responsibility in the child being brought to our house in Iraq. She was brought by my brother Sabbar,” he said.

Sabah A.H.O gave the names of senior ISIS executives during the hearing and said he wanted to benefit from the Effective Remorse Law.

Meanwhile, efforts of the Turkish Foreign Ministry and the Iraqi government have turned futile in finding out the whereabouts of the Yazidi child.

A diplomat from Iraq's Ankara Embassy told Gazete Duvar that all members of the child's family are believed to have been killed during one of the massacres of ISIS.