Amal Clooney is taking on a hugely important task. The high-profile human rights lawyer is making the case that ISIS should be taken to court for genocide, and she explained in an interview with NBC News that it’s not a decision she and her husband, George Clooney, take lightly.
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In a preview of the interview that aired on the Today show on Monday, September 19, the activist, 38, revealed that she had a serious talk with the Money Monster star, 55, about their safety. “This is something I discussed with my husband before I would take on something like this,” she said. “We did discuss it. And we are aware of some of the risks involved.”
Amal Clooney and George Clooney attend the premiere of Universal Pictures' 'Hail, Caesar!' at the Regency Village Theatre on Feb. 1, 2016, in Westwood, California. Barry King/Getty Images
Both saw the importance of the case after meeting survivor and activist Nadia Murad, an Iraqi girl who was captured by ISIS in 2014 but escaped after being tortured and raped for three months. “[George] met Nadia too and I think he was moved for the same reasons and he understood, I mean, this is my work,” the British barrister said.
Tina Brown, Nadia Murad and Amal Clooney attend the Women in the World reception honoring appointment of U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime Goodwill Ambassador Nadia Murad on September 16, 2016, in New York City. Matthew Eisman/Getty Images
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She went on to explain that while she’s received praise for her bravery, Murad is the real hero. “I don’t think anyone can feel that they’re being courageous compared to what Nadia is doing,” she said. “You know, it’s no joke. This is ISIS. They have sent her very specific threats, saying we will get you back. We’ll do everything to you.”
Amal Clooney
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When NBC’s Cynthia McFadden argued that some people think ISIS doesn’t need to be brought to court, and instead they should be “bombed out of existence,” Clooney replied, “It’s not enough. You can’t kill an idea that way. I think one of the ways to take action that way is to expose their brutality and corruption, and partly you can do that through trial.”
Clooney gave a speech at the United Nations in New York City on Friday, September 16, detailing Murad’s ISIS captivity in hopes that the U.N. Security Council will open an investigation into the genocide of Murad’s people, Iraq’s Yazidi community.
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