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HUMAN rights lawyer Amal Clooney has been moved to tears as she spoke out over her decision to put ISIS on trial, saying she had been inspired to take action after hearing the harrowing tales of young women abused by the terror group.

Clooney said she had felt "a sense of outrage" that nothing had been done to bring those who had subjected young women as young as 11 and 12-years-old to horrific sexual assault to justice.

 An emotional Amal Clooney spoke about her latest high-profile case during an interview on NBC Today Monday morning
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An emotional Amal Clooney spoke about her latest high-profile case during an interview on NBC Today Monday morningCredit: NBC Today
 Amal Clooney spoke out at the UN, saying she was ashamed not more had been done to help young women like Nadia, who was named a Goodwill Ambassador by the UN
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Amal Clooney spoke out at the UN, saying she was ashamed not more had been done to help young women like Nadia, who was named a Goodwill Ambassador by the UNCredit: Splash News
 Amal Clooney said she had discussed the high profile case with her husband George Clooney with both inspired by the stories of those who had survived the horrific ordeals
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Amal Clooney said she had discussed the high profile case with her husband George Clooney with both inspired by the stories of those who had survived the horrific ordealsCredit: Getty Images - FilmMagic

Speaking to on Monday, the 38-year-old said the story of Nadia Murad, who was captured by the terror group when she was just 19 and forced to become a sex slave, had driven her to take ISIS and bring them to trial.

Nadia saw her six of her eight brothers and mother killed during the Yazidi genocide before being forced to become a sex slave, where she was subjected to horrific sexual abuse including being raped by two men at a time until she "fell unconscious".

Clooney said: "I can't imagine anything worse being done by one human to another.

"I did feel a sense of outrage, it's been harrowing to hear the testimony of girls as young as 11 and 12 talk about what's happened to them and still we haven't been able to do anything about it."

She said Nadia had been embraced by the community as the voice of those who had been abused.

 Amal Clooney said she did not think what she was doing was courageous after knowing what Nadia had been through at the hands of ISIS
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Amal Clooney said she did not think what she was doing was courageous after knowing what Nadia had been through at the hands of ISISCredit: NBC Today
 Clooney called for more to be done to support refugees, having listened to the women's stories herself
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Clooney called for more to be done to support refugees, having listened to the women's stories herselfCredit: Splash News

Clooney, visibly emotional as she sat by Nadia, said: "I don't think anyone can feel that they are being courageous compared to what Nadia is doing.

"This is no joke, this is ISIS."

She said ISIS had sent the pair extremely specific threats but she had decided to stick with the legal action.

She said: "I met her and I just thought, I can't walk away from this."

But when asked about whether it would be more effective for ISIS to be targeted with bombs, she said: "It's not enough, you can't kill an idea that way.

"I think one of the ways to take action against that is to expose their brutality and their corruption and partly, you can do that through trials."

Clooney, who is married to filmstar George Clooney, said she had spoken to her husband about the dangers of the case but that he understood why she was so motivated.

She said: "We are aware of some of the risks involved in this but he was moved for the same reasons and he understood.

"This is my work."

 Clooney opened up about her decision to put ISIS on trial, saying the pair had received threats from the terror cell
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Clooney opened up about her decision to put ISIS on trial, saying the pair had received threats from the terror cellCredit: NBC Today
 Many people have pinned their hopes on Nadia Murad, who is speaking out about the abuse she suffered at the hands of the terror group
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Many people have pinned their hopes on Nadia Murad, who is speaking out about the abuse she suffered at the hands of the terror groupCredit: NBC Today

The interview also featured grabs from Clooney's recent speech, with the human rights lawyer not pulling any punches in her address.

In the address, Clooney says: "I wish I could say I was proud to be here but I'm not.

"I'm ashamed as a human being that we ignore their cries for help."

Nadia also spoke at the UN, revealing how she would "take herself off to another world! while being brutally raped.

The young woman, who was named a a Goodwill ambassador by the UN, managed to escape the ISIS stronghold after about three months, fleeing to a refugee camp before finding asylum in Germany.


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