Monday, May 21, 2007
Arests made in connection with honor killing of Yezidi girl
Crime
(Al Jazeera) - Iraqi authorities are reported to have arrested four people in connection with the death by stoning of a Kurdish teenager, which was filmed and posted on the internet. Two of those arrested in Nineveh province, in northern Iraq are said to be members of the girl's immediate family, said reports on Saturday. Du'a Khalil Aswad, who was 17-years-old, was stoned to death on April 7, allegedly by members of her family during an "honour killing", according to local officials. She was dragged half-naked into the street where a crowd gathered and a number of people filmed her death on mobile phones. Footage of Aswad's death was later posted on the internet, where the videos showed what appeared to be uniformed members of a security force among the crowd.
Authorities have said Aswad was attacked and killed because members of her community believed she had run off to marry a Sunni Muslim man. Aswad was a member of the Yazidi sect, a religious group, incorporating a number of ancient beliefs that does not allow marriage outside the faith.
"They [the crowd] brutally killed a young Yazidi girl in pursuit of out-of-date tribal rites," the AFP news agency quoted Tahsin Saeed Ali, the Yazidi religious leader known as the emir of the Yazidis in Iraq as saying. The Kurdish Regional Government later condemned the killing and called for Aswad's killers to be brought to justice.
CNN and the Malaysia Sun reported the arrests, with CNN quoting local officials as saying they were looking for four more suspects, including one of Aswad's cousins. Amnesty International, the human rights group, said it welcomed the Kurdish government's condmenation of the killing. A spokesmen said Amnesty had requested "concrete measures to protect all those at risk of becoming victims of 'honour crimes".
Authorities have said Aswad was attacked and killed because members of her community believed she had run off to marry a Sunni Muslim man. Aswad was a member of the Yazidi sect, a religious group, incorporating a number of ancient beliefs that does not allow marriage outside the faith.
"They [the crowd] brutally killed a young Yazidi girl in pursuit of out-of-date tribal rites," the AFP news agency quoted Tahsin Saeed Ali, the Yazidi religious leader known as the emir of the Yazidis in Iraq as saying. The Kurdish Regional Government later condemned the killing and called for Aswad's killers to be brought to justice.
CNN and the Malaysia Sun reported the arrests, with CNN quoting local officials as saying they were looking for four more suspects, including one of Aswad's cousins. Amnesty International, the human rights group, said it welcomed the Kurdish government's condmenation of the killing. A spokesmen said Amnesty had requested "concrete measures to protect all those at risk of becoming victims of 'honour crimes".
Labels: arrests, Du'a Khalil Aswad, emir of the Yazidis, honour killings, Tahsin Saeed Ali, Yezidis
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Death toll up by 15 per cent from February
Security
(AFP) - At least 2,078 people died in Iraq last month, 15 percent more than in February despite a massive security crackdown in Baghdad, the epicentre of violence, a security official said on Sunday. On average, 67 people died across the country every day in March, compared to 64 in February. A significant increase in Iraqi civilian, army and police deaths was evident last month, the official said, based on detailed statistics collected by the defence, interior and health ministries. Civilian deaths topped the toll with 1,869 Iraqis killed in insurgency and sectarian bloodletting in March, compared to 1,646 in February. Another 2,719 civilians were wounded last month, compared to 2,701 in February.
In March, 165 Iraqi policemen were killed against 131 the previous month, while 44 Iraqi soldiers died compared to 29 in February, the official said. In March, 277 Iraqi policemen and 51 soldiers were wounded against 147 and 47, respectively during February. The official said the death toll among militants had fallen to 481 in March compared to 586 killed the previous month.
But those arrested surged to 5,664 in March against 1,921, reflective of the massive Iraqi-US security operation launched on February 14 in which 80,000 troops have been deployed in and around the capital to root out insurgents. The US military also lost 85 personnel in March, taking to 3,244 an AFP tally based on Pentagon statistics as of April 1, compared to 3,159 on February 28. The US military losses, heavily outweighing the deaths of Iraqi soldiers if not Iraqi policemen, come despite Washington's claim that Iraqi forces are leading the security crackdown in the capital.
In March, 165 Iraqi policemen were killed against 131 the previous month, while 44 Iraqi soldiers died compared to 29 in February, the official said. In March, 277 Iraqi policemen and 51 soldiers were wounded against 147 and 47, respectively during February. The official said the death toll among militants had fallen to 481 in March compared to 586 killed the previous month.
But those arrested surged to 5,664 in March against 1,921, reflective of the massive Iraqi-US security operation launched on February 14 in which 80,000 troops have been deployed in and around the capital to root out insurgents. The US military also lost 85 personnel in March, taking to 3,244 an AFP tally based on Pentagon statistics as of April 1, compared to 3,159 on February 28. The US military losses, heavily outweighing the deaths of Iraqi soldiers if not Iraqi policemen, come despite Washington's claim that Iraqi forces are leading the security crackdown in the capital.
Labels: arrests, civilian deaths, militant deaths, troop deaths
