A Yazidi (Êzidî) girl, once kidnapped and sold on the dark web by ISIS, was placed back into the care of her abductors by Turkey’s Family and Social Affairs Ministry, revealed Meral Danış Beştaş, an MP for Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (HEDEP) on Wednesday.

“The Ministry has turned into a ministry of scandals. It can’t get enough of making scandalous decisions for women and children!” Beştaş stated, sharing her concerns on social media.

The Yazidi child was initially rescued from an ISIS compound in Ankara in February 2021. Three Iraqi citizens were arrested for kidnapping and holding the girl. However, by August 2021, all three had been released.

Beştaş also highlighted the efforts of the Yazidi Culture Foundation and women lawyers in Ankara. “Azad Barış, the president of the Yazidi Culture Foundation, announced that the girl’s mother was also in the hands of an ISIS member in Ankara,” she added. Despite collective efforts to file a lawsuit against the ISIS members for “crimes against humanity” and “international human trafficking”, the Ministry’s decision to grant custody of the girl to the ISIS family has left many dumbfounded.

The MP’s revelations come on the heels of a report by journalist Hale Gönültaş, which provided detailed accounts of the girl’s ordeal and the Ministry’s controversial actions. “The Ministry allowed the girl, who had previously been placed in a state dormitory, to be placed in the care of the same ISIS family that abducted her,” Gönültaş reported.

Beştaş concluded her criticism by calling for the immediate resignation of the Family and Social Affairs Minister. “Sending the child back to the same people is complicity in this crime against humanity. The Minister should apologise to all Yazidi women and children and resign immediately,” she urged.

The first hearing of the trial concerning the girl’s kidnapping and unlawful detainment is scheduled for Friday at 11:30 a.m. at the Ankara 15th High Criminal Court.