Syria issue: Lawsuit against Holcim’s subsidiary Lafarge in the USA

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Reuters news agency had previously reported on this issue. As is known, French cement producer Lafarge is accused of paying bribes to the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) in 2013 and 2014 – before it was taken over by Swiss rival Holcim in 2015 – in order to maintain production at its cement factory. He can do it in Syria.

In the fall of 2022, Lafarge reached a $778 million settlement with the US Department of Justice (DoJ).

Yazidis with US citizenship are now suing the French cement manufacturer. The religious minority was violently deported and exploited by ISIS from their hometown of Sinjar in northern Iraq. It has been known since 2016 that ISIS committed genocide against minorities.

“Before, during and after the period when ISIS carried out these brutal attacks against Yazidis, the defendants paid and conspired with ISIS,” the lawsuit filed against Lafarge, seen by Reuters, states. The plaintiff community includes Yazidi Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad, who is herself a victim of exploitation by ISIS.

A Lafarge spokesman confirmed the case had been filed with news agency AWP. The issue is a matter of inheritance. In July of this year, families of American soldiers killed by ISIS also filed a similar lawsuit against Lafarge.

A trial regarding the financing of terrorism in Syria is also ongoing in Paris. France’s highest court held a hearing in this ongoing case in November, but a decision was not expected until January 16, 2024.

Lafarge is accused of complicity in crimes against humanity and endangering the lives of its Syrian employees. The procedure is still a sort of preliminary trial where charges are determined. Only then can the main process begin. (SDA)

Source :Blick