Family of Chamchamal killing victims call for perpetrator’s execution

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Family members of the victims killed in Chamchamal earlier this month gathered in front of the Kurdistan Region parliament’s Sulaimani office on Sunday, calling on authorities to bring the perpetrator, who killed five of their family members, to justice and decide on his execution.

“I have no enemies but this man who has ended my family,” Ahmed Jaff, father of three of the deceased told reporters, calling on authorities to bring the perpetrator to justice and “execute” him.

Tensions erupted at a household in Sulaimani’s Chamchamal district on Monday when a man arrived to settle marital conflict with his wife, leading to the killing of four members of the family. 

Forensic reports later increased the number of casualties to five people after discovering that one of the women was pregnant and the infant did not survive the incident.

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, however he is yet to be tried.

“The family have come here to ask the KRG and all three presidencies that the perpetrator is brought to justice, and be put in front of court as soon as possible,” Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) MP at the Kurdistan Region Parliament Osman Kareem told reporters on Sunday.

“Today, we support the request of the family of May 2nd's victims,” he added. “We will file a request to the Kurdistan Region parliament's speaker and through them it will delivered to the other presidencies.”

Suspects in such crimes are often arrested and undergo investigation. However, the investigations usually yield little to no result.

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.

In 2021, 79 murders and 28 shooting incidents were recorded in Erbil, according to data from the city's police directorate.