Director of the Yazidi Association of Manitoba accused of sexual assault

WARNING: This article may impact people who have experienced sexual violence or know someone who has.

The head of Manitoba’s Yazidi association has been charged with sexual assault.

Hadji Hesso was arrested on October 4 and charged with assault, Winnipeg police confirmed to CBC News on Wednesday. Hesso was originally released on a warrant, but was arrested days later for violating the terms of his release.

The court heard Oct. 18 that Hesso knew the victim through the Yazidi Association of Manitoba, and has known her and her family for nearly a decade since arriving in Canada after fleeing Iraq.

Hesso, the association’s executive director, was denied bail at that hearing. Provincial court Judge Cynthia Devine said he was not allowed to have any contact with the victim, even indirectly through a third party.

“I recognize that this is a man with no criminal record, but the circumstances of these crimes are deeply disturbing,” Devine said in court.

Denies allegations

On Monday, Hesso’s request for bail was denied by Judge Brian Bowman of the Court of King’s Bench.

The court was told the alleged attack took place repeatedly in a room used by the Yazidi association between July and August.

Hesso allegedly made inappropriate comments to the woman and asked her to meet him at his home. He also allegedly made advances towards her and touched her without her consent.

In a statement to CBC News Wednesday, Hesso’s lawyer said his client denies the allegations.

“He is eager to contest these charges in court as soon as possible because he is confident that the court will find that he did nothing wrong,” said attorney Alex Steigerwald.

Remains executive director

CBC News has confirmed that Hesso will remain executive director of the Yazidi Association of Manitoba. A member of the association did not want to comment.

The organization describes itself on Facebook as “dedicated to advocating, representing and absorbing Yazidi minority refugees in Canada.”

The Yazidis are a religious minority mainly located in northern Iraq. They were persecuted by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, which considered them heretics.

In 2016, a United Nations report stated that the massacres, sexual slavery, indoctrination and other crimes against hundreds of thousands of people Yazidi amounted to genocide.

A spokesperson for the City of Winnipeg told CBC News in an email Wednesday that Hesso worked as a contract driver for Winnipeg Transit Plus, which provides transportation to people who need a level of assistance not offered on a Winnipeg Transit bus .

“We can advise that the individual is not currently providing services to Winnipeg Transit Plus,” the spokesperson said in the email.

Hesso is also listed as a board member of the Ethnocultural Council of Manitoba. CBC News has contacted the organization for comment.

Hesso is scheduled to appear in provincial court on Nov. 4.

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For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, support is available through crisis lines and local emergency services through the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety or the safety of others around you, call 911.