Dec 15, 2023. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
Hundreds of
Yazidi-Americans filed a civil lawsuit Friday against French conglomerate
Lafarge S.A. for conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State.
Lafarge pleaded guilty last year in Brooklyn federal court to engaging in a criminal conspiracy to support ISIS and another terrorist group, the Al-Nusra Front. From August 2013 to November 2014, LaFarge and LaFarge Cement Syria knowingly and willfully agreed to make and authorize payments for the benefit of armed groups in Syria, the company conceded.
The civil
lawsuit was filed by Nobel Prize winner Nadia Murad and more than 400 members
of the Yazidi ethnic and religious group – all American citizens – who survived
a "campaign of genocide" against the Yazidi population of Iraq by
ISIS, which the lawsuit said included mass executions, abductions, torture,
sexual violence, the use of child soldiers, and the destruction of the Yazidi
homeland.
"When
ISIS attacked Sinjar, my family was killed, and I was taken captive as a slave.
I was exploited and assaulted every single day until my escape," Murad
said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. "Unfortunately, my story is
not unique among Yazidis. It is the reality of thousands of Yazidi women. Even
more tragic is that our horror took place under the awareness of and thanks to
the support of powerful corporations like Lafarge."
"It is
shocking that a leading global corporation worked hand in hand with ISIS while
ISIS was executing American civilians and committing genocide against Yazidis.
We hope that this case will send a clear message that supporting terrorists
cannot be 'business as usual' and that there will be justice for the
victims," Clooney said.
Nobel laureate Nadia Murad
Lafarge
admitted in October 2022 to a conspiracy that aided ISIS by providing millions
of dollars in cash. Its now-defunct cement company in Syria was alleged to have
provided ISIS with cement to construct underground tunnels and bunkers used to
shelter fighters and hold hostages, including captured Yazidis, the lawsuit
said.
Lafarge
pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to terrorist
organizations. Lafarge S.A. and its subsidiary admitted they paid nearly $6
million to ISIS and Al-Nusra Front and knowingly funded their acts of
coordinated violence.
As part of
its guilty plea, Lafarge agreed to pay nearly $800 million in fines and
forfeiture to the United States. At the time, the company said in a statement
that it regretted “the conduct occurred,” that it was cooperating with
investigators and that the responsible employees were “separated from the
company since 2017.”
"Lafarge
paid millions to ISIS, which committed genocidal atrocities on innocent
civilians," Wolosky said. "While last year's guilty plea was
unprecedented, it is not enough. Lafarge needs to be held to account by those
harmed by its unlawful conduct."
ABCnews
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