The Iraqi and Syrian Yazidi minority were among the groups hardest hit by Daesh (ISIS)* terror as the militants expanded their presence throughout the region in 2014 and 2015.
Lawyers led by Amal Clooney have filed a civil lawsuit against French cement company Lafarge over the company's secret payment of millions of euros to terrorist groups including Daesh in Syria between 2011 and 2015 to allow the company to continue running a local cement plant.
Saying she was “honored” to represent the Yazidi women in the case, Amal, spouse of Hollywood actor George Clooney, characterised the lawsuit as “an opportunity to establish that ISIS, and all those who assisted them, will be held to account for their crimes, and that victims will be awarded just compensation.”
According to the lawyer, the case “sends an important message to corporations that are complicit in the commission of international crimes that they will face legal consequences for their actions.”
The case against Lafarge is the first time that a multinational corporation has been charged with complicity in Daesh's crimes. A panel of French judges handed down preliminary charges against the cement giant in late June following a two year investigation, ordering it to pay over 30 million euros as a security deposit ahead of the trial. Eight former executives including ex-CEO Bruno Lafont have been charged with terror financing and/or…
