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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A man allegedly shot dead his wife and three of her family members in the early hours of the first day of Eid on Monday in Chamchamal town, marking yet another brutal murder that falls under the pretext of “social dispute.”
Tensions erupted at a household in the town when a man arrived to settle marital conflict with his wife at around 6:30 am, leading to the killing of four members of the family, Chamchamal mayor Ramk Ramazan told Rudaw.
The husband, whose name was not shared with the public, allegedly gunned down his wife, her sister, brother, one of their nephews.
Ramazan stressed that their lives were taken due to a “social dispute,” a term often used to justify murders in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani on Monday afternoon said he had advised the security forces to arrest the suspect of the crime "in any way" and "as soon as possible."
Western Sulaimani's Internal Security Forces Directorate announced the arrest of the suspect shortly after Talabani's statement.
Suspects in such crimes are often arrested and undergo investigation. However, the investigations usually yield little to no result.
The assault led to the injury of the suspect’s mother-in-law, 68, who is in a critical condition, and another member of the family, Mariwan Ahmed told reporters shortly after he lost four of his loved ones.
Ahmed added that his tragically killed sister has been in conflict with her husband for the past six months, and they had previously filed cases against him.
She leaves behind five children.
So-called honor killings, domestic violence, sex, and gender-based violence remain on the rise in the Region’s patriarchal and conservative community. When committed in families run by tribalism, they often settle matters with their own moral and judicial codes, often involving a large sum of money given as compensation for taking someone’s soul.
Earlier in April, a man was arrested for slitting his wife’s throat in Erbil.
Minor family disputes can rapidly escalate into violent altercations, leading to shootings and murders across the Kurdistan Region where gun violence remains rife.
A civilian was shot and killed in Erbil earlier in April.
In 2021, 79 murders and 28 shooting incidents were recorded in Erbil, according to data from the city's police directorate.
Updated at 3:43 pm
Additional reporting by Peshawa Bakhtyar and Rawchi Hassan
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