15-year-old Kawtar Bashar al-Husajjawi was killed by men from her family because the girl refused to marry her cousin. This happened in Iraq near Baghdad. They are trying to classify the murder as an “honor killing” in order to minimize punishment for the perpetrators. This is stated in an anonymous column by a relative of the deceased, published on June 1 on The Guardian website.
According to the author, at age 13, Kawtar was taken from school and forced to marry a man much older than her. A year later, due to systematic violence and abuse, the girl fled to her family. Relatives initially placed her under house arrest and demanded that the girl return to her abusive husband, who abused alcohol.
In response, the girl threatened to commit suicide. She was officially divorced in court at the end of 2025. Soon after, her cousin, who was involved in drug and alcohol trafficking, was released from prison and he decided to marry Kavtar, despite her reluctance. The men from the girl's family gave their consent, but her mother and other relatives were unable to speak in her defense.
In an attempt to escape forced marriage and the possibility of further rape and violence, the girl ran away from home in early May, but was abducted by a neighbor. She said he subjected her to terrible things, but refused to give details.
The girl's family decided that she ran away with him voluntarily, although her version was confirmed by CCTV footage. The column notes that we are talking specifically about the girl’s father, uncle, as well as her cousin, who wanted to marry her.
After interrogations, they took her by car to the outskirts of Baghdad. The column's author added that videos soon circulated on the Internet showing family members celebrating the girl's murder.
The column notes that a police officer allegedly asked the victim's family for a bribe to say that the girl was kidnapped and not killed. The columnist said she was frightened by how easy murder had become for men in Iraq because “they no longer fear the law or the state because they see corruption everywhere.”
The column states that it is likely that the murdered girl's brother will surrender as the sole culprit so that the case can be closed as an “honor killing.” The author added that Iraqi law does not explicitly mention the phrase “honor killing”, but there are mitigating circumstances in the law regarding the crime of honor killing. A person who kills his wife or a close female relative after she has been convicted of adultery shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than three years. In many cases, the crime is not viewed as intentional homicide, but rather as a family incident that got out of control.
Iraqi journalist Ai Mansour reported on Instagram that, according to her information, Kawtar was killed on May 9. She also confirmed, citing law enforcement sources, that the girl was first tortured and then shot at least five times and buried. It is known that the brother of the murdered woman, Taysir, confessed to the crime and showed where Kavtar’s body was buried. The body has already been exhumed for official procedures and preparation for burial in the cemetery.
