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Roundup of reports on honour-based violence and violent incidents involving women in Kurdistan Region, September/ October 2007
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26/05/2008 KWRW
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Compiled and translated by Nazaneen Rashid (KWRW)
Edited by Dr Katharine Hodgkin (KWRW)
The following is a record of local media reports of incidents of violence against women in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, February 2008. It includes honour murder, suspected murders as well as suicide involving self-immolation.
Field research suggests that suicide among women in Kurdistan is honour-related. Women are put under pressure and pushed to commit suicide as a way of purifying the family honour and also to avoid prosecution. Since the reform of the Iraqi Penal Code initiated by the Iraqi Kurdish authorities, researchers confirm that suicide among women has increased in Iraqi Kurdistan. Almost all the women who were registered as having committed suicide died by fire. In some cases the death is registered as death following a “fire incident”, arousing suspicion about the incidents, which always involve women. Frequently women are burned in incidents involving Paramiz kerosene cookers; these are used for making bread or for heating water in the bathroom. They have no safety measures, and explode very fast.
KWRW has not been able to check the accuracy of these reports. They are taken from the following sources:
Print newspapers and journals
* Hawlati: Independent twice-weekly newspaper published in Sulaymaniyah.
* Hawal: Independent weekly newspaper reportedly affiliated to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), published in Kirkuk.
* Jamawar: Independent weekly newspapers published in Arbil.
* Aso: Daily newspaper reportedly sponsored by Iraqi Deputy PM Barham Salih, published in Baghdad.
* Awene: Independent weekly newspaper published in Sulaymaniyah.
* Kurdistani Nuwe: Daily newspaper published by PUK in Sulaymaniyah.
* Rewan, Twice-monthly journal published by Women’s Cultural and Information Centre, Sulaymaniyah.
* Jiyanawa, Kurdistan Women’s Union monthly journal, Sulaymaniyah.
* Kurdistan Report: Daily political and social newspaper sponsed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)
Electronic media
* Kurdistan Online
* Peyamner : Pro-KDP
* PUK Media: PUK-sponserd website
* Sbeiy: Sponsored by Wisha Company, owned by former PUK Deputy Leader Nawshirwan Mustafa
I. Reports of murders or suspected murders
Peyamner, 3/10/2007: The body of Neshtiman, a twenty-two-year-old woman, was found by police near Khabat City, Hawler Governorate, following information received. According to the police, her father’s name is not known, and nor is the reason for her murder. Her body has been sent to the forensic medicine department in Rezgari hospital for tests. It is also not clear from police reports how her name was known. No one has been arrested so far, and the investigation is ongoing.
Peyamner, 19/10/2007: Police found the body of an unknown woman wearing black trousers and T shirt, about 7 kilometres to the east of Qaraqush city, Mosul Governorate, after local people had informed them of the body. A source indicated that there were four bullet wounds on her body. It seems she had been killed a day earlier, and no one claimed the body. The body has been transferred to the forensic medicine department in Hawler city.
Peyamner, 21/10/2007: In Daratu county, Bna-slawa city, Zainab Zerar, a twenty-eight-year-old woman and the mother of four children, was killed under mysterious circumstances. Police suspect that her brother killed her and escaped. According to a statement made by Zainab’s family, the brother was playing with a Kalashnikov rifle when it fired accidentally, and she was fatally wounded by the bullets. However, police suspect it is likely that the brother killed his sister because of problems in the family. At the time of writing this report, the offender had not been arrested. Investigations to discover the motive for the killing are continuing.
Peyamner, 22/10/2007: In Prdea County, south of Hawler, Khanzad Sabir, a twenty-one-year-old student, was shot dead. According to the police she had five bullet wounds on her body. The motive for her killing is unknown. Police suspect that she may have been killed by her family, though they have not identified any reason for the killing. According to a statement made by her family, she died when the gun her brother was playing with went off, and Khanzad was hit by the bullets. People close to the family have indicated that there were problems in the family, though they have not specified what kind of problem. Her body has been sent to hospital, and her brother is under investigation.
II. Reports of women burned or committing suicide
Kurdistan Online, 15/9/2007: Hawzhin Abdul-Rahman, a 20-year-old girl from Diliziani village near Diana city, died from severe burns after seven days in hospital. Her brother Rashid Abdul-Rahman told Kurdistan Online that in the morning he asked his sister to heat some water for him, but when she ignited the kerosene heater it suddenly exploded, burning her legs and stomach. She was taken to the hospital burns unit, but sadly did not survive. According to her brother, the main reason for her death was not having suffered 75% burns, but that she had been very depressed and scared, and this was the reason for her death.
Rewan, 1/10/2007: A 15-year-old girl committed suicide by taking rat poison. The girl, who was a school student, ground up the poison and put it in a medicine capsule before taking it. She died on 24th September. A friend of hers told Rewan that her parents had separated more than three years earlier, and she killed herself because her step mother was treating her badly.
(Rewan is a weekly women’s newspaper, published by the Women’s Cultural Centre in Sulaimaniya.)
Peyamner, 3/10/2007: In Turaq village, Hawler city, Shilan Ali Omar has suffered 56% burns in a mysterious incident. Sources from Hawler emergency hospital reported to the Peyamner agency that her condition is bad and her life is in danger. Shilan has one child. Police said that because of her very poor condition they have been unable to take a statement.
Peyamner, 8/10/2007: In Kustani district in Hawler, Shereen Shabaz, a 21-year-old woman, has suffered 56% burns as a result of a cooker fire. In her statement for police at the hospital she stated that she filled the cooker with petrol instead of Kerosene by mistake, and when she tried to light the cooker, it exploded. The police are suspicious that she may not have done it herself, because of the extent and the shape of the burns, and have opened a dossier on the case for investigation.
Peyamner, 8/10/2007: In the Azadi district of Soran city, a 30-year-old woman set herself on fire. Asked to comment on the incident, police sources in Soran city told the Peyamner agency that their investigations made it clear that the woman burned herself because of social problems and arguments with her husband. Because of the high percentage of burns she has been transferred to Hawler emergency hospital.
Awene no. 90, 9/10/2007: Sources from Azmer police reported to Awene that on 26th September in Tuyi Malik district, Sulaimaniya city, a 20-year-old woman suffered 40% burns as a result of a cooker fire. She died at Sulamaniya plastic surgery centre on 2 October 2007.
Awene no. 90, 9/10/2007: In a village of Sangasar County on 2 October a 22-year-old woman caught fire; she died in Sulamaniya city on 6 October 2007. Police sources in Qaladizy reported to Awene that a person close to the woman has been arrested, and investigations are continuing, as there is doubt over whether the woman set herself alight.
Awene no. 90, 9/10/2007: In the city of new Halabja, on 4 October 2007, a 35-year-old woman died of burns following a Paramize explosion. She died at Sulamaniya Plastic Surgery Centre. Sources close to the police confirmed that investigations are ongoing.
Peyamner, 9/10/2007: In Bardarash County, Akri town, Avin Bayz, a 14-year-old schoolgirl set herself alight because of a dispute with her sister Azin. In a statement to police at Hawler emergency hospital, she claimed that her sister bullied and made fun of her for no reason, so she poured kerosene on herself and set herself on fire. She made a complaint against her sister. According to the doctor’s report she is in a critical condition and suffering from a high percentage of burns.
Kurdistan Online, 15/10/2007: Dilvin Salam Hussein, a 13-year-old girl from Soran city, set herself on fire. Her maternal uncle Jameel Qader told Kurdistan Online that his niece burned herself because she was angry following an argument with her mother. It was an unexpected incident. Doctors stated that she suffered 75% burns, and so has been transferred to Hawler emergency hospital.
Peyamner, 16/10/2007: In a district of Hawler city, a girl of high school age set light to herself because of social problems and anger against her father. She suffered 100% percent burns, and died at the hospital two days later. According to information received by the Peyamner agency, the girl’s name was Suzan Musa, and she was fifteen years old. In her statement to police before she died, she said that because her father refused to buy her a mobile phone she poured kerosene on herself and burned herself. She did not make a complaint against anybody.
Peyamner, 22/10/2007: Shlir Sabir, a 50-year-old woman, suffered 70% burns in a fire blast incident. She stated that her burns were the result of a gas cylinder explosion. However, one of her daughters said that her mother suffered from depression after the death of her husband and nephew, and she may have been attempting suicide. Police have opened a dossier on the case, and the investigation is ongoing.
PUKmedia, 22/10/2007: In Raniya city on October 21 2007, a twenty-one-year old girl, Sazgar Muhammad Ahmad, attempted suicide by throwing herself from the roof of her house. She survived the fall, but on the same day set herself alight, suffering 60% burns. She was transferred to Sulamaniya emergency hospital because of the high percentage of burns. A source from Raniya police reported to PUKmedia that according to police information, the Paramize exploded while she was washing clothes, and she caught fire. However, sources close to the incident reported that the woman had been in love with a man, but was forced by her family to marry someone else. Following an argument with her brother, she first threw herself from the roof and then set light to herself with petrol.
PUKmedia, 23 /10/2007: Shahla Abdul-Baqi Salah, 28, a housewife in the Azadi district of Raniya city, suffered 70% burns and was transferred to emergency hospital. Additionally, Qaladizy Hospital reported on 21st October that a woman from Zharawa County was admitted to the hospital suffering 55% burns as a result of a gas cylinder explosion.
Kurdistan Report, 25/10/2007: Senoor Salam, a girl of 19 from Bawa Noor in the Garmian area, caught fire and died on 23rd Oct at Sulaimaniya emergency hospital. A source close to Kurdistan Report said that she died after a week in hospital, because of the high percentage burns. There are suggestions that the woman had family problems, and might have set herself alight because of her anger with her family. Police opened a dossier for her and investigation is ongoing.
Aso, 29/10 2007: On 23rd October in Shikhan district of Sulaimaniya two sisters were burned in a Paramize explosion. Sources close to the family told Aso newspaper the accident happened while they were baking bread. Both died of their burns on October 27th.
Awene, 6/11/2007: In a report to Awene newspaper, Salah-Aldeen Aube Hajji, the chief of police in Duhok, said that in the last two months (September and October) 31 cases of violence committed against women have been registered. The cases include murder, rape, beating, and threats. It is his view that these crimes are caused by social and cultural problems and traditional attitudes, as well as the low educational standard of those involved.
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