An Iraqi ISIS member has been sentenced to life in jail by a German court for genocide against the Yazidi community, in the world's first verdict to use the label for crimes committed against the minority.
Taha Al Jumailly, 29, was found guilty in Frankfurt of genocide, crimes against humanity resulting in death, war crimes, aiding and abetting war crimes, and bodily harm resulting in death after joining the terrorist group in 2013.
He was accused of enslaving a Yazidi mother and her 5-year-old daughter. The child died of heatstroke after she was chained up outside — without food or water — in Fallujah in the summer of 2015 when temperatures reached 50°C, as punishment for wetting the bed when she was ill. Al Jumailly also prevented them from practising their religion.
In making its decision, the court said it was vital "that the defendant acted to the detriment of the joint plaintiff and her daughter with the intent to eliminate the Yazidi religious minority. This intention is a prerequisite for the criminal offence of genocide."
The accused passed out in court when the verdict was announced, causing proceedings to be suspended.
In a separate trial held in Munich in October, Al Jumailly’s ex-wife Jennifer Wenisch was sentenced to 10 years in jail for crimes against humanity and her role in the 5-year-old girl's death.
Wenisch was convicted for "crimes against humanity in the form of enslavement" and aiding and abetting the girl's death by failing to offer help. She did not face genocide charges.
Nadia Murad, the Iraqi Yazidi human rights activist who escaped ISIS captivity in 2014, said today's verdict was a “historic conviction".
“This verdict is a win for survivors of genocide, survivors of sexual violence and the entire Yazidi community,” she said.
Although Germany has already convicted ISIS members who have returned to the country for crimes against the Yazidis, Tuesday’s judgment was the first time that a court has used the word genocide to describe what happened to the community.
Germany has used the legal principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows for prosecution even if alleged offences were committed in a foreign country.
“Germany is not only raising awareness about the need for justice but is acting on it. Their use of universal jurisdiction in this case can and should be replicated by governments around the world,” Ms Murad said.
The mother and child were from a village in Sinjar, which was attacked by ISIS in August 2014.
The Yazidi mother, who was represented by a team including human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, was a vital witness for the prosecution.
“This is the moment Yazidis have been waiting for,” said Ms Clooney. “To finally hear a judge, after seven years, declare that what they suffered was genocide. To watch a man face justice for killing a Yazidi girl — because she was Yazidi. There is no more denying it — ISIS is guilty of genocide.”
About 10,000 Yazidis were killed when ISIS swept through northern Iraq in 2014 and about 7,000 women and girls were enslaved.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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