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KWRW condemns the stoning of teenage Yezidi girl in Kurdistan
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27/04/2007 KWRW
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KWRW, April 2007
Kurdish Women’s Rights Watch strongly condemns the barbaric murder of the 16 year old Yezidi girl Do’a, on 07 April 2007 by members of her community in the city of Mosul. Do’a was allegedly killed for “dishonouring” her family and community by falling in love with a Muslim boy. According to reports by independent Kurdish newspapers, up to 1000 men participated in the stoning of Do’a.
While honour crime in general and honour-based killing in particular are enshrined in secrecy and silence, the case of Do’a was made public through mobile phone video footage taken by witnesses at the scene, since circulated through the internet. The footage shows the male members of her family and community throwing stones at her while she is stripped naked and crying for help. Disturbingly, the footage reveals that police officers were present while the murder was being carried out and that not only did they fail to intervene to prevent the crime and save Do’a but they actually sought to encourage the crowd.
KWRW calls on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to arrest the criminals involved and bring to justice the police officers who were culpable in this act of murder. A special investigation committee to study and reveal the circumstances around this barbaric crime is needed. The investigation must be conducted rapidly and the results broadcast widely.
At this juncture, with the recurrence of a wave of honour-killing cases, it is urgent for the KRG to put into force effective legal measures to prevent, prosecute and punish honour crime. In addition, the government must hold to account government institutions and officials who remain silent over such crimes. Silence must be recognised and condemned by the government as the institutionalization of a permissive approach towards crimes of honour.
So, as legal reform alone is not enough, KWRW calls on the KRG to develop education and awareness-raising programmes at every level of society, including within the judiciary and wider legal community, media organizations, schools, universities and police.
Kurdish Women’s Rights Watch (KWRW) is an organization dedicated to supporting and promoting women’s rights in the Kurdish community. KWRW has developed out of the honour-based violence campaign Kurdish Women’s Action against Honour Killing (KWAHK).
London
April 2007
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