Inside the Twana H.S. and Asia R.A. Trial #06:  Bearing Witness: F29's experience

TRIAL OF TWANA H.S. AND ASIA R.A.  

Higher Regional Court – Munich, Germany     

Trial Monitoring Summary #06    

Hearing Date: July 8, 9 & 10, 2025

CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.     

Note that this summary is not a verbatim transcript of the trial; it is merely an unofficial summary of the proceedings.     

Throughout this summary, [information located in brackets are notes from our trial monitor] and “information placed in quotes are statements made by the witness, judges or counsel.” The names and identifying information of witnesses have been redacted.    

[Note: SJAC provides a summary of the proceedings while redacting certain details to protect witness privacy and to preserve the integrity of the trial.]  

SJAC’s 6^th trial monitoring report details days 10, 11 and 12 of the trial of Twana H.S. and Asia R.A. in Munich, Germany. On this first trial day, the Court heard F29, who lived with the Accused, the two Plaintiffs, and two witnesses F34 and F33, for a time in [redacted location]. F29 testified that when they were in [redacted location], P1 told F29, F33, and F34 in detail that she had been raped by Twana H.S. After testifying to the event, F29 had a panic attack.

On the second day of the week, F29 answered the questions of the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (GBA), two experts and the Defense Teams. Ameri, Defense Counsel for Asia R.A., accused F29 of concealing a conversation with a man in the audience. He also asked whether F29 had gained knowledge of the content of the indictment.

On the third day of the week, the interpreter for Kurmanji C3, was asked about an interpretation error in F29’s police interview. F29 then answered the remaining questions of Defense Counsel Ameri.

Day 10 – July 8, 2025

The Presiding Judge started the session with a note to [redacted name] C3, the Court’s interpreter for Kurmanji. As there had been some problems with the prior witness, [redacted name], W7, C3 was instructed to interpret Arabic words as well and explain their meaning, especially words connected to sexual assault [for details on the testimony, see Trial Report #05]. The interpreter noted that she had already spoken with the witness [redacted name], F29. F29 was represented by legal counsel [redacted name], F40, and her own interpreter, [redacted name], F41, although C3 interpreted F29’s testimony.

The Presiding Judge then informed F29 of her rights and duties and asked for her personal details. F29 told the Court that she was born in [redacted time] and is [redacted information] years old, she does not have a job or any familial relations to either of the Accused.

The Presiding Judge prompted F29 to tell the Court how she came to [redacted location]. F29 started with the journey to [redacted location], telling the Court that she was brought from Raqqa to Al Mayadin, but when the fighting reached Al Mayadin, she and her sister [redacted name], F33, were brought to the home of [redacted name], F34. The two Accused were also living in this house. F29 identified the two Accused as Abu Abdullah and Umm Abdullah or Asia. From that point onward, F29 refused to call the Accused by any given names, choosing to call them “those ISIS members” or “the wife of that ISIS man.” F29 testified that the Accused had two Yazidi girls with them, who she said were their Sabayas. C3 explained that “Sabaya” is an Arabic word that can be translated as “female spoils of war” or slave. F29 recalled that she and F33 stayed for a time, but she could not remember exactly how long.

There were five Sabayas in the house, according to F29. F33, F34, F29 and the two Sabayas belonging to the Accused named [redacted name], P1, and [redacted name], P2. The Accused had given P1 the Name [redacted name]. F29 remarked how horrible the whole situation was as the two Sabayas of the Accused were still so young and yet they had already suffered so much. F29 explained that Asia R.A. had inflicted violence onto P1 and forced P1 to care for Asia R.A.’s young child.

When asked to describe the house where she had met the Accused, F29 answered that there had been one [redacted information], a [redacted information] and on the right, there was a kitchen and a [redacted information]. During the day, the men were in the [redacted information] room while the women were in the [redacted information]. At night, the women slept in the [redacted information]. Asia R.A. had been in the kitchen with the Sabayas. There was a [redacted information] in front of the house.

Three men, who were all ISIS members, were living in the house with them. Twana H.S., a man named [redacted name] or [redacted name], F42, and a man named [redacted name], F43. F29 and F33 were the Sabayas of F42. F34 was the Sabaya of F43. All the Sabayas were forced to pray according to the customs of ISIS. The Sabayas were often told by Asia R.A. when they were supposed to pray. If they did not pray, they were seen as unbelievers and killed.

All ISIS-members always had weapons with them as the fighting had intensified. Asia R.A. identified herself as an ISIS member to the Sabayas. As the fighting drew closer, the food became sparse, and the Sabayas received less and less food.

At this point, F29 clarified that she could not remember much as she was in significant mental turmoil since February 2025. Her brother's earthly remains had been found and sent to the family in February, and the whole family had been in mourning since then. The Presiding Judge decided to take a break for fifteen minutes.

***

[28-minute break]

***

After the break, F29 described how P1 had been forced to do the housework and carry the child of the Accused, despite still being very small. P1 was not allowed to wash herself and cried sometimes. Both P1 and P2 told the other Sabayas that they had been starved by the Accused. P1 also told F29 that she had been raped by Twana H.S. The Judge told F29 that they would talk about the rape soon and asked about the housework again. F29 explained that the older Sabayas, F33, F34 and F29 had told Asia R.A. that P1 and P2 were too small to do the housework and offered to do it for her instead. Asia R.A. told them that P1 and P2 were her Sabayas and therefore it was P1’s and P2’s job to do the housework. P1 was not older than ten years old by F29’s estimation. P2 was older than P1, but not by more than 1 or 2 years. The Accused had also given P1 and P2 other names than their birth names, as those had been names with Yazidi background. F29 could not remember where the girls had been bought or if they had talked about this.

When asked to specify the kind of violence P1 and P2 had to endure, F29 said that all Yazidi girls and women had been abducted, sold, bought, raped, starved, and subjected to violence. P1 and P2 had to live through the same. P1 specifically had been torn from her family and sold. P1 had a burn on her arm and she told F29 that Asia R.A. had [redacted information], to make her [redacted information]. P1 was too small to reach the [redacted information], so someone placed a [redacted information] so she could wash the dishes. P1 also did not eat until Asia R.A. allowed her to do so. P1 had also been hit.

P1 had also been raped by Twana H.S. P1 told the women, in tears, that she did not know what the man had done to her, but that he had come onto her body. P2, F33, F34 and F29 were sitting in the [redacted information] of the house they were kept in. The women reassured P1 [redacted information]. The Judges then wanted to know in more detail what it meant that Twana H.S. had come onto P1’s body. P1 had apparently been ashamed and crying so badly that she could [redacted information].  P1 had used the phrase “he came onto my body”. The Judges asked more questions in this direction, but F29 did not elaborate further. The Presiding Judge then took the time to explain that they were not asking this because they thought asking these questions was funny, or because they do not believe F29, but they had to clarify in detail what exactly happened to P1, as a lot depended on this. He closed with the question of what “coming onto someone’s body” meant to F29. After some back and forth, F29 clarified that Twana H.S. had inserted his genital into P1’s body. P1 was too young to understand what had happened to her, but she did know that something had happened to her, and she had been in pain after. The Presiding Judge then asked if Twana H.S. had ejaculated. The interpreter for Kurmanji C3 interrupted, explaining that there is no word for ejaculation in the language F29 is speaking. Twana H.S. yawned at this point. F29 reported that P2 had also told the other Sabayas that she had been raped, though she did not go into specifics including who raped her.

F29 was asked by the Judges who had raped her, F34, and F33. F29 answered that her sister, F33, had been raped by F42, and F34 had been raped by F43. F29 herself had been raped by a German man named [redacted name], F44. The second man who bought and raped F29 was also a German man by the name [redacted name], F45. The third man that bought and raped her was a Saudi man by the name [redacted name], F46. The fourth man who bought and raped her was called [redacted name], F47. F47 sold F29 to F42. The Court adjourned at this point for lunch. The moment the Court adjourned F29 had a severe panic attack which very visibly moved the Court.

***

[113-minute break]

***

After the break, the Court rearranged the seating to ensure that F29 did not have to look at the Accused while testifying and thanked her for continuing with her testimony. 

The Court asked F29 about P1’s family. F29 answered that she knew two of P1’s sisters [redacted name], F35, and [redacted name], F48. P1 had other sisters, but F29 did not know them. When asked if she had contact with the other Sabayas after being freed, F29 answered that she talked to her sister F33 regularly and to [redacted name], F34, semi-regularly. F29 did not know what happened to P2 after F29 left the house.

P1 had to care for Asia R.A.’s child and be at Twana H.S.’s disposal at all times. F29 remembered that Twana H.S. had sometimes called for P1 to come into the room. F29 said that Asia R.A. was happy that Yazidi girls were being raped as she is a cruel woman. The Court then read an excerpt from F29’s statement before the police, where F29 said Asia R.A. was jealous of the time P1 spent with Twana H.S.

When asked about the food the Sabayas had been given, F29 answered that the ISIS-members ate first, and if something was left after they had eaten, the Sabayas were allowed to eat it. After a few questions regarding the name of P2, F29 was dismissed for the day.

After F29 had left the courtroom, Defense Counsel for Asia R.A. Ameri asked the Court some questions. One of the witness statements given to the police had been videotaped. This videotape had been translated, but as the witnesses speak a certain dialect of Kurdish, the translation is in question. Therefore, the Court was thinking about showing the tape to the Court’s interpreter for Kurmanji, C3, to confirm the translation was correct. Ameri requested to see the video if the Court showed the video to C3. Rejecting any commitment, the Court noted that it would think about it.

The proceedings were adjourned at 3:10 PM

The next trial day will be on July 9, 2025, at 9:30 AM.

Day 11 – July 9, 2025

On this trial day, witness F29 was heard again. The Court wanted to know further details about F29’s statement with UNITAD. F29 explained that she had given two statements to UNITAD. One in Iraq and one a few months later, where she was called by [redacted name], W7, from UNITAD. While her sister, F33, was questioned by the police in [redacted location], the two did not talk about the events in [redacted location].

The Court showed F29 a sketch of the house in [redacted location] that F29 had drawn for the police. There was one [redacted information], a kitchen, a toilet, and a [redacted information]. The next picture the Court showed to F29 depicted F29 and F33 very shortly after they had been freed, made by the “agency”, YPG, which had freed the two. The next picture was of a [redacted information] child in a [redacted information] dress, which F29 identified as P1. Though she had never seen the picture before, F29 testified that the face was P1’s. F29 said that P1 was not much older than the child in the picture when she met her. F29 identified the person in the next picture, a young girl in a [redacted information], as P2. The last picture was a girl in a [redacted information], which F29 also identified as P1. The Court then showed her the pictures again, asking her which of the pictures had her signature. F29 confirmed her signature on the first picture, the second picture, and the picture that she identified as P1 last. The signature on the other pictures was not hers.

F29 then talked about the clothing they had to wear while they were with ISIS. The older girls and wives of ISIS-members had to [redacted information], but as P1 was still young, she only had to have [redacted information].

Ameri, Defense Counsel for Asia R.A., asked how long exactly they had been in the house, F29 answered that they did not count the days. The girls did not expect having to answer such questions in front of a court one day, instead they thought they were going to be killed, and so they did not think they would need to know how many days they were there. When Ameri asked the question again, the Federal Prosecutor Dr. Zabeck interjected, saying this question had already been answered. After some back and forth, the Presiding Judge asked F29 to please repeat how long she had stayed in the house. F29 answered that she does not know, as she had been in captivity for three years and five months.

***

[25-minute break]

***

After the break, Federal Prosecutor Dr. Zabeck asked F29 in which year the girls had stayed in [redacted location]. F29 responded that it had been [redacted time], possibly in [redacted time].

When asked about Twana H.S.’s appearance at the time she saw him in [redacted time], F29 answered he looked the same as in the courtroom today but he had a [redacted information]. He wore clothes typical for ISIS-members, the “[redacted information].” Though she did not know what Twana H.S. did for ISIS, F29 was “one hundred percent” sure that both Twana H.S. and Asia R.A. were members of ISIS. F29 was sure, as only ISIS-fighters could buy Sabayas. Asia R.A. had also told the girls that Twana H.S. was an ISIS-fighter.

Asia R.A. frequently hit P1 and spoke [redacted information] with P1. P1 had to carry Asia R.A.’s child and wash the dishes despite being [redacted information]. P1 did not receive any food to eat. When the Sabayas ate, P1 did not dare to eat without looking at Asia R.A. and waiting for permission to eat. P1 was about [redacted information] centimeters smaller than F29, so about [redacted information] meter and [redacted information] centimeters.

Upon questioning, F29 further recalled that P2 had to do similar tasks as P1, but as P2 was not there as long as P1, F29 did not know what kind of work she had to do exactly. The girls had to comply with the ritual customs of ISIS, including ritual washings, praying and reading the Koran.

Defense Counsel for Twana H.S. Martin Kämpf interjected, asking if F29 could please look to the front as he could not see her face anymore. F29 answered that she sits the way she does, [slightly turned away from the dock and the Judges toward the Prosecutor’s side], because she does not want to look at the Accused. The Presiding Judge interjected that Kämpf might not want to start this discussion, saying that the Court had to meet the witness halfway as she was already willing to testify in the presence of the Accused. Mrs. [redacted name], F40, the legal counsel for F29, reaffirmed this, highlighting that she had had quite a hard time convincing the witnesses to testify in the presence of the Accused. Kämpf expressed understanding, adding he would still prefer F29 to look at the judges. The Presiding Judge reiterated that he did not think this discussion would turn out in Kämpf’s favor, but asked the witness if she could sometimes look in the direction of the Judges. F29 agreed to look at the Judges, and the Presiding Judge thanked everyone for being understanding of each other.

According to F29, the girls had to pray five times a day. Once before the sun rises, then in the morning, in the evening, before sunset, and once at night. The girls were screamed at by ISIS-members to pray, otherwise they would not have done it. They were given specific clothes for praying. The Accused knew that the girls were Yazidi and saw them as unbelievers, calling them “Kuffar [disbelievers].” Asia R.A. had said to the girl that ISIS had the only correct religion.

The expert on ISIS, [redacted name], E3, then wanted to raise some questions. However, the Prosecutor interjected, arguing that it would be advisable if he asked his questions to a more psychologically stable witness. In the end, the Presiding Judge instructed E3 to be cautious during his questioning. The expert inquired about the typical clothes ISIS-members were wearing and if F29 had ever been registered in any way by ISIS. F29 recalled that ISIS [redacted information], but they did not go to an [redacted information] or a [redacted information] to register. Then, E3 was interested in details about one of the men who had bought F29, [redacted name], F47. He bought and sold several Sabayas while F29 was with him. F29 said that he was older, and when asked how old, F29 guessed about [redacted information] years. At this point, several people in the courtroom laughed, and F29 said that this was not a laughing matter, as she had been very young. E3 did not have further questions.

***

[82-minute break]

***

The first thing the Presiding Judge said to F29 after the break was that he could assure her that no one present in the courtroom for professional reasons regarded what had happened to her as a laughing matter. The reason people had laughed at her answer before the break was that several people in the courtroom were fifty years and older. F29 answered that she understands, but that she remembered in the moment when people were laughing that this man had raped her, even though she had been young. The Presiding Judge reassured her that she did not have to explain and that the Court understood the difficult situation F29 was in.

The expert on child and adolescent psychiatry, [redacted name], E1, then apologized to the witness for asking questions about age once more. The expert wanted to know how old F29 had been when all of this happened to her. F29 answered that she had been fourteen when she had been captured and seventeen when she met the Accused. He then asked F29 to estimate how old Asia R.A. had been at the time she met her. F29 estimated about twenty-four or twenty-five. When asked about Asia R.A.’s character, F29 answered that Asia R.A. was an evil person, as no one good could do to P1 and P2 what Asia R.A. had done to them. When asked, F29 said that Asia R.A. had a child, but that she did not know the gender of the child. Asia R.A. did not help with the housework, but to her own child, she had been very caring.

Ewald, Defense Counsel for Twana H.S., then asked about the normal routine regarding meals in the house in [redacted location]. F29 answered that the food was brought by the [redacted information] in the house, and then they ate. Ewald commented that, normally, there are a few steps between buying food and eating it. F29 explained that F33 and F34 were forced to cook the food that the ISIS-members then ate. While Twana H.S., F42, and F43 ate in the [redacted information], the women ate in the [redacted information], sitting [redacted information]. The Sabayas were only allowed to eat what was left after the male ISIS-members had eaten their fill.

When asked at what point F29 had last seen P1, F29 replied that she cannot remember exactly, but that it was with the two ISIS-members in the [present] courtroom.

Ewald then asked about an incident between Asia R.A. and F33. F33 had, according to a witness statement of F29, [redacted information]. Asia R.A. had told F33 that [redacted information]. P1 and P2 were her Sabayas, so Asia R.A. could [redacted information]. Asia R.A. also told F33 that she [redacted information]. F29 said that she had told F33 not to say something like this, but F33’s [redacted information].

Ewald read a statement F29 had given to the [redacted information] police, where F29 was recorded to have said Asia R.A. had either had one or two children. F29 denied making this statement, saying she always said that Asia R.A. had one child, but she did not know the gender. The last question Ewald asked was about F29’s refusal to call the Accused by their names, as she had said the names in her police statement. F29 answered that the Accused had not been present while she gave her statement, but she wanted them both to know what it feels like to not even be worth being called by their names.

Next, Kämpf, Defense Counsel for Twana H.S., asked F29 if she had been shown pictures by the police and how this was conducted. F29 remembered that she had been given a catalogue of pictures to sift through. She had recognized [redacted name], F44, [redacted name], F45, and P1. F29 was then asked to leave the courtroom for a moment. The Prosecutor explained that the police had taken other statements from F29, which the Prosecutor was unable to disclose earlier. Since in the case in question a conviction was achieved on July 4, 2025, these statements, a 7-pages document, could now be disclosed. After the Presiding Judge decided that the documents should be shared with the Defense Teams, the Court issued a short break.  

 ***

[17-minute break]

***

The Defense Teams were given time to read the documents in question. The questioning of F29 continued with the Defense Team showing her photographs. They first showed F29 a picture of Twana H.S. F29 said that she did not remember whether she had been shown this picture. Kämpf asked if she remembered that she had not recognized Twana H.S. when the police showed her this picture. F29 repeated that she does not remember if she had recognized Twana H.S. when she gave her statement.

Ameri, Defense Counsel of Asia R.A., continued with a question about the same picture of Twana H.S., asking whether F29 recognized the man in the picture today. F29 answered that the man in the picture was Twana H.S. Then he showed her two pictures of Asia R.A., one with a hijab and one without. F29 identified both as Asia R.A.

Next, Ameri asked whether F29 had become aware of the content of the indictment yesterday or today. F29 answered that she does not understand the question, Ameri refused to ask again or rephrase. The Presiding Judge then explained what the indictment was and asked again if F29 had become aware of the content of the indictment. F29 replied that she knew that there was a court case against Asia R.A. and Twana H.S., but that it was not her job to know exactly what crimes the two are accused of. After it had been established that F29 did not gain knowledge about the indictment from her legal counsel or the media, Ameri asked whether F29 knew anyone in the audience. F29 confirmed that she knew that one young man was Yazidi but did not know anyone else. When asked how she knew that he was Yazidi, F29 explained that her brother had told her after the Court adjourned yesterday. After more questions in this direction, F29 said that she had not talked to the man, she said that her brother had told her that if she needed anything, F29 should ask the Yazidi in the audience. When asked what that would entail, F29 answered that if she went to the city, he would help. The offer had nothing to do with the current proceedings. Next, Ameri asked whether she had spoken to the person herself. F29 answered that she had greeted him, but not much more. Ameri asked F29 why she had not answered his first question truthfully. After some back and forth between the legal counsel of F29, the Federal Prosecutor and Defense Counsel Ameri, the Presiding Judge acknowledged that they could not determine whether F29 had answered the question truthfully because of translation issues. When asked if she had the contact of the man in the audience, F29 confirmed. After another question, F29 added that they talked on the phone, and the man had offered to help F29 if she needed to be driven anywhere.

***

[23-minute break]

***

Ameri resumed the questioning after the break by asking whether F29 had talked about anything else with the man or if they had seen each other on another occasion. F29 denied this and added that he had also not told her that he had been in the audience on other trial days. Ameri then asked questions about F29’s knowledge of Islam and the Koran. F29 recalled that she had been forced to read the Koran and know about the customs of Islam. Ameri then inquired why she would still be called a “Kuffar” [unbeliever] if she had converted under ISIS. F29 answered that the ISIS-members knew that they could not change the Yazidi religion in their heart. F29 also recounted that she had been forced to tell F42 and F43 that she was a Muslim.

When the Judges used the word “IS-ler” [colloquial German for ISIS-member] in connection with his client, Ameri protested. The Court agreed that they should not have called the Accused that, but as translation issues already arose with the witness, they had used the same word the witness had used. But the Court agreed not to use the term again.

Ameri then asked why F29 had not said the name of Asia R.A. in her statement to the police but had said it in court. F29 explained that she does not remember if she had told the name to the police. When asked whether she had remembered other identifying features in her police interview, F29 recalled that she did not know whether she had remembered them at the time. F29 answered another question about the time when P1 had told the women about the rape and being hit.

No further questions were raised, and F29 was dismissed for the day.

Before the Court adjourned the Prosecutor pointed out that the Court’s interpreter for Kurmanji, C3, had told her that the difference between the word “child” and “children” is almost indistinguishable in the Kurdish dialect Kurmanji, which F29 is speaking. When asked about this, C3said that because of the nuance, the issue of whether F29 had said that Asia R.A. had had one or more children could be due to an interpretation error.

The proceedings were adjourned at 4:38 PM

The next trial day will be on July 10, 2025, at 9:30 AM.

Day 12 – July 10, 2025

Following technical difficulties at the beginning of this trial day, Ameri, Defense Counsel for Asia R.A., told the Court he would like to ask a few questions regarding the interpretation difference C3 had pointed out. Ameri asked if the interpreter approached the Prosecutor or the other way around. C3 explained that she had talked with her colleague about translating Kurmanji. C3 offhandedly mentioned that nuances such as the difference between “child” and “children” are very miniscule in Kurmanji. Someone told the Prosecutor about this, because she then approached C3 regarding this matter. The interpreter stressed that she did not want to make a comment on her own initiative as she does not know whether she is authorized to do that.

Subsequently, witness F29 was heard again. Kämpf, Defense Counsel for Twana H.S., asked if F29 had been truthful in her statement to the police, F29 affirmed. Ameri, Defense Counsel for Asia R.A., asked where P1 had told F29 about her rape. F29 recounted that it might have been in the kitchen, maybe under the trees in the courtyard. Ameri repeated the question, and F29 answered that she was not sure at this moment. When asked about the languages she speaks, F29 replied that she speaks Kurmanji and understands Sorani well. After some back and forth, as well as an intervention of F29’s legal counsel, F29 said that P1 spoke [redacted information]. With Asia R.A., F29 spoke Sorani. F29 also answered a question about the rules in the house, saying that the ISIS-members told them to pray and that they were not allowed to leave the house, as had been custom while they were captives with ISIS. The instruction not to go out had come from F42. Asia R.A. had given the girls the instruction to pray. P1 had the instruction to [redacted information]. When asked what her name with ISIS had been, F29 answered “[redacted name].”

Before F29 was dismissed, she said that was very thankful to the German state for holding the members of ISIS accountable for their actions.

Before adjourning the proceedings, the Court decided, as desired by the Defense Teams, that they could submit their statements pursuant to Sect. §257 GCCP at the next court hearing.

The proceedings were adjourned at 10:32 AM

The next trial day will be on July 29, 2025, at 9:30 AM.

___________________________

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