ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The fate of Hannan Wushyar remains uncertain following the death of her lover, who was shot by her father a month ago. Wushyar, 19, from Zakho, had fallen in love with Idris Sulaiman, a 32 year old man who had two wives and nine children. Before Idris Sulaiman, a truck driver, was killed by Hannan's father, he had asked permission to marry her several times, but the father insisted that he would not allow her daughter to tie the knot with a married man. The couple ran away in March 2019 to an unknown location. They spent less than a week together and returned to Zakho, where Sulaiman was imprisoned on kidnapping charges. Idris was arrested upon their return after Hanan’s father had filed an arrest warrant while they were on the run. "No one knew where Idris had fled to," a close associate of Idris told Rudaw on condition of anonymity. "They reappeared one day all of a sudden. But since a lawsuit had been lodged against him, Idris was arrested right after he came back with her." "After spending eight months in prison, Idris was released on November 6 following a tribal agreement between the two sides. The relative recalled how Idris was killed four days after his release on November 10. "On the day he was killed, he was outdoor washing his vehicle. A car stopped by him. It was Hannan’s father, who approached him and shot him 14 times before running away." Syamand Mohammed, Sulaiman's neighbour who often saw the couple together, said the agreement to release Sulaiman was part of a larger plan. "Idris was killed just a few days after he was released from prison. It shows that the family of the girl had the intention to kill in the very first place and that is why they decided to withdraw their complaint from court in order for Idris to walk out of prison and eventually kill him." There is a rumor that Hannan has been killed as well, but Idris's family is doubtful. "The family of the girl say that they have killed their daughter and that is why they also killed Idris," a source close to Sulaiman said. "There is no sign or proof to show that they have killed their daughter. And according to our information they have sent their daughter outside of Kurdistan, they said" Hannan's father remains at large. "We have not yet been able to locate and arrest him. He has fled to an unknown place. The family too have abandoned their house. We have given the name of the criminal to all checkpoints," Shvan Shaaban, in charge of the Duhok office of KRG Department of Combating Violence Against Women and Families (DCVAW) Another person close to Hannan's family told Rudaw English that after Hannan returned, she sought refuge in a government-run women’s shelter for four months, fearing reprisals from her family. "Her family filled a pledge that they would not do anything against her. Since she was taken out from the shelter, no one knows what has happened to her." "Her brothers and father say they have sent their daughter to a relative outside of Kurdistan," the source said. The source close to the family doubts that Hannan is killed. "If she was killed, her body would be discovered," he said. Sulaiman’s brother has vowed that they will not hold any funeral for their slain brother "unless Hanna's father is arrested". Reporting by Triska Sherzad Translation by Zhelwan Z. Wali
