A prominent community advocate known for helping Yazidis seek refuge and settle in Winnipeg has been charged with sexual assault.
The Winnipeg Police Service confirmed Hadji Hesso, who oversees the Yazidi Association of Manitoba, was charged with one count of sexual assault on Oct. 4.
Hesso has made a name for himself as a community leader who has raised awareness about the Kurdish religious minority group being targeted by ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) in their homeland since the genocide against Yazidis began in 2014.
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Hadji Hesso, who oversees the Yazidi Association of Manitoba, in 2019.
He is listed as a member of the Ethnocultural Council of Manitoba’s board of directors.
“My client strongly denies the allegations against him as false,” Hesso’s lawyer, Alex Steigerwald, said in a text message. “He is eager to contest these allegations in court at the earliest opportunity, as he is confident the court will find he has done nothing wrong.”
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca