Yazidi Americans sue French Lafarge for aiding Daesh terror

Hundreds of Yazidi-Americans, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad, have filed a lawsuit against French cement maker Lafarge, accusing it of conspiring to provide material support to a campaign of violence by Daesh terror group.

Represented by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and former veteran US diplomat Lee Wolosky, the Yazidis — who are all US citizens — and their families are survivors of Daesh violence that started when the terrorists targeted the Yazidi homeland of Sinjar in northern Iraq in 2014.

According to the lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, Lafarge "aided and abetted Daesh's acts of international terrorism and conspired with Daesh and its intermediaries, they must pay compensation to the survivors."

Yazidis are an ancient religious minority that combines elements of Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Islam. Daesh views Yazidis as devil-worshippers.

'Yazidi genocide'

Lafarge pleaded guilty in US court in October last year to a charge that it made payments to groups designated as terrorists by the United States, including Daesh, so the company could keep operating in Syria.



Lafarge, which became part of Swiss-listed Holcim in 2015, agreed to pay $778 million in forfeiture and fines as part of the plea agreement.

"It is shocking that a leading global corporation worked hand in hand with Daesh while Daesh was executing American civilians and committing genocide against Yazidis," Clooney said in a statement.

When Lafarge pleaded guilty in US court last year, Holcim in a statement noted that none of the conduct involved Holcim, "which has never operated in Syria, or any Lafarge operations or employees in the United States, and it is in stark contrast with everything that Holcim stands for."

Aiding Daesh

The US determined in 2016 that Daesh committed genocide against Christians, Yazidis and Muslims.

United Nations investigators also said in 2016 that Daesh was committing genocide against the Yazidis in Syria and Iraq to destroy the religious community of 400,000 people through killings, sexual slavery and other crimes.

"Before, during, and after the time Daesh was carrying out these brutal attacks on the Yazidis, Defendants were paying and conspiring with Daesh," read the lawsuit filed against Lafarge.

"When Daesh 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 — who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for her efforts to end rape as a weapon of war — said in a statement.

"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," she said.

Families of a US aid worker and American soldiers — all killed or injured by Daesh and militant group Al-Nusra Front — also filed a similar lawsuit against Lafarge in July.