Facts
Ayada K. is alleged to have been an accomplice to the recruitment and use of her son, Abdallah, as a child solider by ISIS. In 2014, Ayada K. travelled to Turkey with her then-13-year-old son, Abdallah, and then-14-year-old daughter, Safia. From there, she crossed into Syria and settled in Raqqa, which had recently been declared the capital of the Islamic State. After arriving in Raqqa, Abdallah was forced to attend military training and later join ISIS as a member of its military police. Abdallah is believed to have died in Raqqa in 2017 at the age of 16. According to the Public Prosecution Service, ISIS records show that Abdallah had been paid for his work since he was 13 and was using his earnings to support his mother and a younger child, believed to be his half-brother born in Raqqa.
Procedure
Ayada K. was repatriated, with her daughter, to the Netherlands in May 2024 and was arrested. The investigation is ongoing, with Ayada K. first appearing before the court in August 2024 for a pro forma hearing. In the course of the investigation, Ayada K. has invoked her right to remain silent.
The substantive hearing of the case have taken place on 27 March and 22 May 2026.
On 5 June 2026, the District Court of The Hague convicted Ayada K. of war crimes and sentenced her to seven years in prison for allowing her then 14-year-old son to become a fighter for ISIS. The court found that by travelling to ISIS-controlled territory in October 2014 with her two minor children – then aged 13 and 15 – and remaining there for years, the defendant created the opportunity for her son to be recruited by ISIS. She was also convicted of participation in a terrorist organisation, preparatory acts for terrorist offences, intentionally placing and leaving a dependent person in a helpless state, resulting in death, and removing minors from lawful custody by deception, committed on multiple occasions.