Yezidi survivor Ashwaq Haji speaks to Rudaw, August 18, 2018. Photo: Rudaw video
Ashwaq Haji, a survivor of the 2014 ISIS genocide, was granted asylum in Germany in 2015 following her three-month ordeal at the hands of a jihadist militant named Abu Humam. Like hundreds of Yezidi women and girls, she was given sanctuary in Stuttgart – thousands of miles from her ISIS rapist – or so she thought.
Humam infiltrated Germany posing as a refugee and tracked her down. Terrified she would be abducted by her former captor, Haji returned to northern Iraq. Convinced German and Iraqi authorities are not doing enough to trace ISIS fighters hiding in Europe or to rescue those Yezidis still missing, Haji has shared her story. She hopes German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other world leaders will take heed.
Rudaw: We are now joined by Ashwaq Haji from Duhok. Ashwaq, where did you first meet Abu Humam in ISIS?
My entire family was captured and to this day I don’t know anything about them. 
Ashwaq Haji: I thank you and your channel. On August 3, 2014, 77 members of my family were captured, among them my uncles, cousins, my aunts, sisters and brothers. My entire family was captured and to this day I don’t know anything about them. Then they took us to Syria for a week. Not just my family, but many other families, too. After a week they took us back to Iraq and separated girls over the age of six from their families. They sold them and raped them. Here I’m not talking about just myself. All countries must know that there are thousands of other Yezidi women and girls in ISIS hands. Their fate is unknown.
What year did you see Abu Humam for the first time?
It was four to five weeks after they had taken the Yezidi girls. Abu Humam came and bought me in Baaj and took me to Rambusi where I was with him for three months.
You said Abu Humam bought you for $100. What was the name of the person he bought you from?
His name was Abu Muhammad al-Iraqi.
Where was Abu Humam himself from?
Abu Humam was from Baghdad and his real name was Muhammad Rashid. And I’m sure that half of his family lives in Baghdad and the other half in Germany. So my life’s in danger in Iraq, too. I know his family lives in Germany, too, because I saw him there.
Where was Abu Humam’s home when he bought you?
He took me everywhere like a shield. In Rambusi he was in charge of prisoners like us.
When he first bought me he took me to Rambusi, but he was taking me around and took me to Syria, Baaj, Mosul. He took me everywhere like a shield. In Rambusi he was in charge of prisoners like us.
When did you go to Germany?
I got out of ISIS hands on October 22. I stayed around six months with my father and brother then in 2015 I went to Germany.
In Germany you were studying German. How come you left? Was it an escape?
Germany never failed helping us Yezidi women and girls. But in 2016 I saw that ISIS man and he stalked me all the way home. I looked back but still couldn’t believe it could be him. I said to myself that he’s an ISIS man and no way he could come to Germany. I told my mother about it but she said no worries, there is no such thing in Germany. I forgot about it and continued going to school. Then in 2018 I was working in the school and at midday a white car pulled up and there were two people inside it. He said to me in German that he wanted to ask me a question. I answered in German too. He said are you Ashwaq? He said I’m Abu Humam and I know you. I also know that you’ve been living in Germany since 2015. He said don’t try to lie to me. I know you’re Ashwaq and everything. I was afraid and said to him I am not Ashwaq.
Where and when did you see him?
Both times it was in a part of Stuttgart and the last time I saw him was in February.
What were you doing at the moment he saw you?
I was busy on my phone and was coming home from work. I was going to get things at a supermarket and then go back to work, but he pulled up in the white car and it seemed he had been monitoring me since morning to see when I’d leave.
Did he try to take you with him? How did he know where you lived?
I said to myself that he’s an ISIS man and there's no way he could come to Germany.
I’ve no idea. I think the first time he came just to know where I was living. Then he came to tell me that he was there, living in Germany like me. Maybe if he had seen me for third time he’d have abducted me. But if he had done that no one would have said he had abducted me. People would have said she’s 18 and she lives freely in Germany and she must have gone with him at will. No one would have said ISIS has kidnapped her in Germany. And today I’m making this much noise because there are hundreds of Yezidi girls in Stuttgart, so are many ISIS men, but no one hears the voice of those girls or does anything for them.
How do you think he managed to collect information on you?
I’m shocked too as to how he knew so much about me and how he knew I was living in Germany since 2015.
Do you think that ISIS militants still roam around Europe and pursue Yezidi girls and do what they used to do?
I’ve heard many other girls in Stuttgart where we were all taken on a special program and many of those girls have seen their ISIS captors, but they don’t talk. When I saw him I immediately spoke up and said I’d sacrifice myself for those Yezidi women and girls rescued from ISIS.
The Baden-Wurttemberg police say on their Twitter that they closed your case because you were not in Germany anymore as the main plaintiff. Is that true?
If I had stayed and he had kidnapped me, no one would have known what had happened to me
I don’t know if that is true or not, but I did not spare any effort on my part. The day I saw the man I went and spoke with our supervisor then the police. I told everyone and filed a case against him and told them that that man had raped me in Iraq and that I had just seen him again. I said just know that he’s in Germany and may abduct me again. So I stayed another month and half in Germany, but they didn’t do anything about it. Perhaps if they had raised the case to their superiors they would have done something but they kept my case there. That’s why I returned to Iraq.
So you returned out of fear?
Yes, of course. If I had stayed and he had kidnapped me, no one would have known what had happened to me and everyone would have said she’s run away freely.
How did the police treat the case when you told them?
They said that I had to provide evidence. I told them that if the cameras of the supermarket had filmed it I could show them the man. But they said don’t worry and left it at that.
So you believe the police did not take your case seriously?
They told me that they did all they could and that they had written down everything. I explained to them everything and gave them all details about his looks, his shape, his height and everything and I even gave them a number and said keep this number so that if he abducted me police would know. If he had killed me or something no one on earth would have known what had happened to me or who had done it.
Do you mean to say the police were negligent in pursuing the case?
They said they’d do all they can and would catch that man if they ever saw him. But when I saw after a month and half that they weren’t doing anything I returned with my mother and brother.
Abu Humam had said to you that he knew exactly where you lived in Stuttgart. How do you think he got all that information?
I know many Yezidi girls have seen their ISIS captors in the supermarket, on the train and train stations.
Ashwaq, what’s your message to the German police or justice authorities?
I want them to catch those men and kick ISIS out of Germany. If tomorrow Yezidi girls get abducted, who would know who did it? I know many Yezidi girls have seen their ISIS captors in the supermarket, on the train and train stations. I sacrificed myself for all those girls freed from ISIS. I said we are now free and reached this country but ISIS was still there and perhaps planning to kidnap us.
Do you have a message for Angela Merkel?
My word to all the leaders in the world is that around 3,600 Yezidi women are still missing, we know nothing of them, 41 of them are my own family. Among them are uncles, aunts, cousins, brother-in-law, sisters and brothers, none of them have come back. I want their whereabouts to be found out, whether in Germany or in Iraq, and I want all ISIS men out of Germany otherwise many other Yezidi girls will leave and those ISIS men will destroy Germany.
What’s your demand for the European Union?
I want all ISIS men out of Germany otherwise many other Yezidi girls will leave and those ISIS men will destroy Germany.
My demand for all channels, leaders, politicians and higher-ups is to do something about those 3,600-3,700 missing Yezidi women and for those who have survived and after so much suffering and rape don’t want to ever see those ISIS men again.
Do you want those countries to catch those ISIS members who have reached there as asylum seekers so they do not become a threat to the Yezidi people and others?
Yes absolutely. We want them all punished. We did not go to Germany to ever see the men we got to know in those circumstances. They raped girls as young as six and they sold girls for as little as $100. We’ll never forget that until the day we die. The world should see what we have gone through and it is even worse for those still held captive. If this continues we’d have no choice but to commit suicide. We are not slaves in Iraq or any country. I want the world to hear my voice about those thousands of Yezidis who have been missing for four years.
What do you have to say to the Kurdish government?
I would ask all governments in the world to punish ISIS members. I am not talking about just one man but there are thousands of them in Europe and in Stuttgart. They must kick out those ISIS members or our survivors will leave Germany and Germany will go down the drain like Iraq has.
You said the family and relatives of Abu Humam still live in Baghdad. What’s your request for Baghdad?
They raped girls as young as six and they sold girls for as little as $100. We’ll never forget that until the day we die.
I want them to recognize the Yezidi genocide and do something for the community. We will never feel safe in Iraq ever again or live there. And I know half of Abu Humam’s family live there still and half of them live in Germany. So we neither feel safe in Iraq nor in Germany.
Ashwaq, there are some pictures behind you. Can you tell us who they are?
They are 41 members of my family, five brothers, my sister, two uncles and their families, my aunts and their families, our brother-in-law, my cousin and his family, and we haven’t heard from them for four years.
Humam infiltrated Germany posing as a refugee and tracked her down. Terrified she would be abducted by her former captor, Haji returned to northern Iraq. Convinced German and Iraqi authorities are not doing enough to trace ISIS fighters hiding in Europe or to rescue those Yezidis still missing, Haji has shared her story. She hopes German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other world leaders will take heed.
Rudaw: We are now joined by Ashwaq Haji from Duhok. Ashwaq, where did you first meet Abu Humam in ISIS?
My entire family was captured and to this day I don’t know anything about them. What year did you see Abu Humam for the first time?
It was four to five weeks after they had taken the Yezidi girls. Abu Humam came and bought me in Baaj and took me to Rambusi where I was with him for three months.
You said Abu Humam bought you for $100. What was the name of the person he bought you from?
His name was Abu Muhammad al-Iraqi.
Where was Abu Humam himself from?
Abu Humam was from Baghdad and his real name was Muhammad Rashid. And I’m sure that half of his family lives in Baghdad and the other half in Germany. So my life’s in danger in Iraq, too. I know his family lives in Germany, too, because I saw him there.
Where was Abu Humam’s home when he bought you?
He took me everywhere like a shield. In Rambusi he was in charge of prisoners like us. When did you go to Germany?
I got out of ISIS hands on October 22. I stayed around six months with my father and brother then in 2015 I went to Germany.
In Germany you were studying German. How come you left? Was it an escape?
Germany never failed helping us Yezidi women and girls. But in 2016 I saw that ISIS man and he stalked me all the way home. I looked back but still couldn’t believe it could be him. I said to myself that he’s an ISIS man and no way he could come to Germany. I told my mother about it but she said no worries, there is no such thing in Germany. I forgot about it and continued going to school. Then in 2018 I was working in the school and at midday a white car pulled up and there were two people inside it. He said to me in German that he wanted to ask me a question. I answered in German too. He said are you Ashwaq? He said I’m Abu Humam and I know you. I also know that you’ve been living in Germany since 2015. He said don’t try to lie to me. I know you’re Ashwaq and everything. I was afraid and said to him I am not Ashwaq.
Where and when did you see him?
Both times it was in a part of Stuttgart and the last time I saw him was in February.
What were you doing at the moment he saw you?
I was busy on my phone and was coming home from work. I was going to get things at a supermarket and then go back to work, but he pulled up in the white car and it seemed he had been monitoring me since morning to see when I’d leave.
Did he try to take you with him? How did he know where you lived?
I said to myself that he’s an ISIS man and there's no way he could come to Germany. How do you think he managed to collect information on you?
I’m shocked too as to how he knew so much about me and how he knew I was living in Germany since 2015.
Do you think that ISIS militants still roam around Europe and pursue Yezidi girls and do what they used to do?
I’ve heard many other girls in Stuttgart where we were all taken on a special program and many of those girls have seen their ISIS captors, but they don’t talk. When I saw him I immediately spoke up and said I’d sacrifice myself for those Yezidi women and girls rescued from ISIS.
The Baden-Wurttemberg police say on their Twitter that they closed your case because you were not in Germany anymore as the main plaintiff. Is that true?
If I had stayed and he had kidnapped me, no one would have known what had happened to me So you returned out of fear?
Yes, of course. If I had stayed and he had kidnapped me, no one would have known what had happened to me and everyone would have said she’s run away freely.
How did the police treat the case when you told them?
They said that I had to provide evidence. I told them that if the cameras of the supermarket had filmed it I could show them the man. But they said don’t worry and left it at that.
So you believe the police did not take your case seriously?
They told me that they did all they could and that they had written down everything. I explained to them everything and gave them all details about his looks, his shape, his height and everything and I even gave them a number and said keep this number so that if he abducted me police would know. If he had killed me or something no one on earth would have known what had happened to me or who had done it.
Do you mean to say the police were negligent in pursuing the case?
They said they’d do all they can and would catch that man if they ever saw him. But when I saw after a month and half that they weren’t doing anything I returned with my mother and brother.
Abu Humam had said to you that he knew exactly where you lived in Stuttgart. How do you think he got all that information?
I know many Yezidi girls have seen their ISIS captors in the supermarket, on the train and train stations. I don’t know at all and still wonder how he had found out that I even lived in Germany. The first time he said he knew the street I lived on, but I thought that an ISIS man wouldn’t get that far. But Mr. Brahem Ali, the editor of Bash Ava, wrote my story out. Otherwise I was in Iraq for four months and no one ever heard me. But that good man came and wrote my story and told the world about it.
Ashwaq, what’s your message to the German police or justice authorities?
I want them to catch those men and kick ISIS out of Germany. If tomorrow Yezidi girls get abducted, who would know who did it? I know many Yezidi girls have seen their ISIS captors in the supermarket, on the train and train stations. I sacrificed myself for all those girls freed from ISIS. I said we are now free and reached this country but ISIS was still there and perhaps planning to kidnap us.
Do you have a message for Angela Merkel?
My word to all the leaders in the world is that around 3,600 Yezidi women are still missing, we know nothing of them, 41 of them are my own family. Among them are uncles, aunts, cousins, brother-in-law, sisters and brothers, none of them have come back. I want their whereabouts to be found out, whether in Germany or in Iraq, and I want all ISIS men out of Germany otherwise many other Yezidi girls will leave and those ISIS men will destroy Germany.
What’s your demand for the European Union?
I want all ISIS men out of Germany otherwise many other Yezidi girls will leave and those ISIS men will destroy Germany. Do you want those countries to catch those ISIS members who have reached there as asylum seekers so they do not become a threat to the Yezidi people and others?
Yes absolutely. We want them all punished. We did not go to Germany to ever see the men we got to know in those circumstances. They raped girls as young as six and they sold girls for as little as $100. We’ll never forget that until the day we die. The world should see what we have gone through and it is even worse for those still held captive. If this continues we’d have no choice but to commit suicide. We are not slaves in Iraq or any country. I want the world to hear my voice about those thousands of Yezidis who have been missing for four years.
What do you have to say to the Kurdish government?
I would ask all governments in the world to punish ISIS members. I am not talking about just one man but there are thousands of them in Europe and in Stuttgart. They must kick out those ISIS members or our survivors will leave Germany and Germany will go down the drain like Iraq has.
You said the family and relatives of Abu Humam still live in Baghdad. What’s your request for Baghdad?
They raped girls as young as six and they sold girls for as little as $100. We’ll never forget that until the day we die. Ashwaq, there are some pictures behind you. Can you tell us who they are?
They are 41 members of my family, five brothers, my sister, two uncles and their families, my aunts and their families, our brother-in-law, my cousin and his family, and we haven’t heard from them for four years.
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