SULAIMANI (ESTA) — At least seven men and women have been killed or committed suicide in the Kurdistan Region in the past three days.
Four of the cases were women and the three others were men.
Cases of murdering
On Friday, a 21-year-old woman was killed by her ex-husband in Erbil. Her family said she was shot with “13 bullets in front of her mother”.
The woman who got married when she was 13 years old has three children, according to her family.
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said in a tweet on Saturday that he was “appalled” by the killing of the woman, saying “there is no honor in ‘honor’ killing; it is murder, sets us back, and must end”.
“Our society will never truly thrive if half of the population can’t live freely without fear of violence. In this cabinet, we have increased resources to shelters for vulnerable women seeking support and protection, and I’m committed to doing more to help,” he added.
In contrast to that incident, a woman stabbed her husband on Sunday in Said Sadiq district, southeast of Sulaimani city. The man succumbed to his injury at a hospital in Sulaimani.
“The spouses had social problems,” police said on Sunday, adding that they have five children.
On Saturday, a policeman was shot dead by a group of men outside his house in Chwarqurna sub-district, northwest of Sulaimani.
Police in Raparin administration said six suspects had been detained over the killing.
In Chamchamal, police said a 22-year-old boy shot his uncle on Saturday due to “social problems”. The man later succumbed to his injury at hospital.
“The youth shot his uncle with a Kalashnikov rifle after an argument erupted between them,” police said.
Cases of suicide
At least three women who were 18-21 years old have committed suicide in the past three days.
Police in Garmian administration said on Sunday that a 20-year-old woman committed suicide by “hanging” in the area.
“The issue was related to a family problem,” police added.
Similarly, a 19-year-old woman who got married eight months ago hung herself by her “headscarf” at her house in Sulaimani city on Sunday night.
Her family said she had “issues with her husband”.
Another girl who was a student at the University of Kirkuk committed suicide in the village of Quli Bag in Shwan sub-district in Kirkuk province on Sunday.
General Secretary of the Kurdistan Region’s High Council of Women Affairs Khanzad Ahmed said women should have security and stability just like any other individual in the community.
“These cases are serious cases … they have risen and must be reduced. If they are repeated, the law must be sovereign,” Ahmed told Esta Media Network on Sunday.
