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Kurdistan: Many 'honour killings' of
Kurdish women: UN
25.4.2007 |
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April 25, 2007
Erbil, Kurdistan region (Iraq), -- Iraq's
relatively peaceful northern region of Kurdistan is
witnessing a large number of so-called "honour
killings" of women, the United Nations Assistance
Mission for Iraq said Wednesday.
In its 10th report on human rights situation in
Iraq, covering three months to March 2007, UNAMI
said Iraq's three Kurdish provinces of Dohuk, Erbil
and Sulaimaniyah have reported dozens of women
killed for "immoral conduct".
"Between January and March, UNAMI received
information on some forty cases of alleged honour
crimes in Erbil, Dohuk, Sulaimaniyah and Salaheddin
where young women reportedly died from accidental
burns at their homes or were killed by family
members for suspected immoral conduct," the report
said.
Citing examples, the report said in January the
charred remains of a woman were found on the
outskirts of a town in Erbil, while a woman and her
married boyfriend were reportedly shot dead by her
brother in February.
The report criticised the Kurdish regional
government for its slow response to these acts of
violence against women.
The United Nations also expressed concern over the
treatment of detainees in prisons run by Kurdish
Asayish (security) forces, and over attacks on press
freedom by the same shadowy organisation.
"UNAMI continues to receive allegations of torture
or ill-treatment of detainees in Asayish detention
facilities," it said.
"The Kurdistan Regional Government continued to
subject journalists to harassment, arrest and legal
actions for their reporting on government
corruption, poor public services and other issues of
public interest."
Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region largely runs its
own affairs and has enjoyed relative peace and
growing prosperity since the US invasion of March
2003, while Arab areas of Iraq have plunged into
sectarian warfare.
AFP
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