French Jihadist Faces Unprecedented Crimes Against Humanity Charges in Terrorism Case

The French justice system has just given a favorable response to associations that have long demanded the expansion of legal proceedings against jihadists to include crimes against humanity.

Indeed, this is the first time that the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) has tasked investigating judges with investigating suspicions of crimes against humanity committed by a French jihadist, Sabri Essid, reports AFP.

This member of the Toulouse movement, who is accused of atrocities against the Yazidis, will now be prosecuted for the acts committed between 2014 and 2016 against this religious minority.

Born in Toulouse in 1984, Sabri Essid is the son of a companion of the mother of Mohamed Merah, which implicitly makes him the "half-brother" of the perpetrator of the killings in March 2012 in the Toulouse region.

In early 2018, the Toulousain had been declared presumed dead by a source close to the case. An unofficial magazine of the organization, the Islamic State (IS), had also announced the news.

The investigations will now be conducted by investigating judges from the specialized "Crimes against Humanity" division of the Paris Court. In the absence of proof of Sabri Essid’s death, a trial could open quickly. This will allow Yazidi victims to join as civil parties.