Kurdistan
From left: Balanbo Mohammed, Rayan Rostam, Rostam Jibrael, and Rudaw’s Shahyan Tahseen on June 30, 2022. Photo: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - After a man stormed a couple's house in Erbil on Thursday and killed them, family members of a victim spoke to Rudaw about the background of the events that transpired and turned the "social dispute" bloody.
A 21 year old brother is suspected of shooting dead his 18-year-old sister and her 21-year-old husband in Erbil's Salahaddin neighborhood on Thursday in a violent expression of disapproval to their marriage.
The victims were identified as Sumaya and Zakaria Rostam respectively, and the husband's father and sister told Rudaw's Shahyan Tahseen on Thursday that their marriage was agreed upon as part of a tribal agreement that later sparked major disagreements.
"My brother and Sumaya loved each other wholeheartedly. After their relationship was revealed, we held a tribal agreement where we gave their [Sumaya's] family three girls," Rayan Rostam, the victim's sister and one of the girls exchanged as part of the tribal agreement said.
The tribal stipulation for Sumaya's family to give consent to the marriage included the family being handed 20-year-old Hanar, her then 13-year-old sister, and her aunt to Sumaya's brothers in marriage "to prevent bloodshed."
Despite the existence of an agreement, Rayan grievingly said that her family welcomed Sumaya after picking her up from the hospital, badly beaten and having attempted to commit suicide.
The perpetrator refrained from communicating with his wife's parents as well as his sister and her husband, whom he later killed, according to Rayan. She added that he never stepped into his in-laws' house, further showing his staunch disapproval of the marriage even after the tribal agreement.
A saddened Rayan emphasized that her husband's hatred of the victims' marriage was fueled by his uncles' dissent, who would instigate him to take action against the tribal agreement.
"In our house, my husband placed his hand on the Quran and vowed that he has no problems with their marriage," she stressed, further blaming his uncles for their part in the tragedy.
Rayan also worryingly stated that her husband's uncles had previously aimed an AK-47 (Kalashnikov) at her and threatened to kill her.
The incident sparked calls for major reform in the Kurdistan Region, where gun violence remains rife due to the ease of obtaining unlicensed firearms, including sniper rifles and machine guns, from the black market.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani ordered the interior ministry to shut down businesses that sell firearms and ammunition and tasked authorities with the seizure of unlicensed guns so they do not become a "threat on people's lives," a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) statement read.
A few hours later, Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw announced that checkpoints will be set up near places suspected of selling firearms, and a campaign to confiscate illegal firearms will also be launched.
Zakaria's father Rostam lamented his deep regret of the tribal agreement, wishing he had never given his approval.
"At first, we had a tribal agreement where we gave three girls to prevent bloodshed. Now, they killed my son and his wife more than one and a half years after our agreement," he said.
Rostam described the situation as "unjust" and called on PM Barzani to hold the perpetrator accountable, as well as his uncles who encouraged him to act against the victims' marriage.
Minor family disputes can rapidly escalate into violent altercations, leading to shootings and murders across the Kurdistan Region.
The tragic incident came two days following renewed calls from top Kurdish leaders to seize unlicensed firearms and bring gun ownership under control after two renowned university academics were killed in Erbil on Tuesday, a crime which sparked outcry across the Region.
An estimated 70 percent of people in the Kurdistan Region own weapons.
Erbil saw 79 murders and 28 shooting incidents in the past year, according to data from the city's police.
Additional reporting by Sidad Lashkri
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