Women murderers in Kurdistan Region must be held responsible: US

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The US Consulate General in Erbil expressed its concern regarding the recent surge of domestic violence and femicide in the Kurdistan Region on Friday, stressing that culprits must be brought to justice.

Eman Sami Maghdid, 20, was shot dead on Erbil’s 100 metes road late Sunday. Her death followed a number of similar cases in the Kurdistan Region. Kirkuk police arrested the suspected murderer of the Kurdish woman on Wednesday. 

“So-called “#honor_killings” like the recent murders of Eman “Maria” Sami Maghdeed, Maryam Yacoob, and Aydi Muhammed must be investigated and followed by a legal response, with the perpetrators held responsible,” said the US Consulate in a statement. 

The Consulate in their statement urged the Kurdistan Regional Government to continue taking meaningful action towards ending all violation of the rights of women and other marginalized communities, while also stating: “we stand ready to assist.”

A mother of ten was allegedly killed in Duhok’s Khanke camp earlier this month. Another woman, who was married off at a young age, was set ablaze by her husband in Sulaimani late last month.

Twenty-four women were killed in the Region in the past year, according to statistics from the Directorate of Combatting Violence against Women.

The concerning increase of murders comes despite the Kurdistan Region’s efforts to end gender-based violence and so-called honor killings. 

In December, it launched an app to tackle violence against women. It also set up a support hotline for victims of violence in 2018, about seven years after the KRG passed its Combating Domestic Violence Law, criminalizing domestic violence and equipping the directorate to combat violence by investigating it.


By Chenar Chalak