Tonight as I was working out at the gym, I almost fell off the threadmill when I saw on BBC News this 17-year-old Kurdish girl being kicked and stoned to death in Iraq. It ends when a man smashes her head with a stone and blood spills all over the ground. Some guy has filmed the whole thing on his cell phone. Ironically Rhianna's "SOS" was on my ipod...
The girl was accused of have a realtionship with a boy "from the wrong religion". Reports from Iraq said a local security force witnessed the incident, but did nothing to try to stop it. Now her boyfriend is in hiding in fear for his life.
The girl, Du’a Khalil Aswad, was condemned to death as an “honour killing” by other men in her family and hardline religious leaders because of her relationship with the Sunni Muslim boy.
Miss Aswad had taken shelter in the house of a Yezidi tribal leader in Bashika, a predominantly Kurdish town near the northern capital, Mosul.
A large crowd watched as eight or nine men stormed the house and dragged Miss Aswad into the street. There they hurled stones at her for half an hour until she was dead.
The stoning happened last month, but only came to light yesterday with the release of the Internet video.
It is feared her death has already triggered a retaliatory attack. Last week 23 Yezidi workmen were forced off a bus travelling from Mosulto Bashika by a group of Sunni gunmen and summarily shot dead.
An Amnesty International spokesman in London said they receive frequent reports of honour crimes from Iraq – particularly in the predominantly Kurdish north.
Most victims are women and girls who are considered by male relatives to have shamed their families by immoral behaviour.
Kurdish authorities have introduced reforms outlawing honour killings, but have failed to investigate them or prosecute suspects, added the Amnesty spokesman.
Kate Allen, the organisation’s UK director, said: “This young girl’s murder is truly abhorrent and her killers must be brought to justice.
“Unless the authorities respond vigorously to this and any other reports of crimes in the name of ‘honour’, we must fear for the future of women in Iraq.”
(source )
There's of course a video and I must warn you that it is REALLY disturbing. It totally freaked me out. Sometimes I can understand how people might turn to crime after a shitty life, but this is BEYOND understanding. It's sick. Barbarian. NOTHING could ever justify anything like that.
They think she committed a sin? She was in love! They're the ones who'll be burning in hell.
God bless her soul. And all the other ones.
It's too horrible to even post this here. It's on a fellow's blog though and seriously... it's really harsh. http://ballyblog.wordpress.com/2007/05/04/warning-uncensored-video-iraqis-stone-girl-to-death-over-loving-wrong-boy/
