A 15-year-old Iraqi girl, Kawthar al-Husayjawi, was murdered by her own family after she refused to marry her cousin, according to a female relative who has spoken out about the case. The relative, who wishes to remain anonymous, described how Kawthar was shot 10 times and hit with an axe before being buried in a shallow pit. Her family then celebrated her death by dancing in the streets.
Kawthar had been forced to marry an older alcoholic man at age 13, but fled after a year of abuse. She was eventually granted a divorce in court in late 2025. Shortly after, her cousin, recently released from prison, asked for her hand in marriage. Kawthar refused, knowing he was involved in drugs and alcohol, but her family ignored her wishes, citing the custom that 'a man's word is not broken by a girl.'
In early May, as the wedding approached, Kawthar ran away from home. She was abducted by a neighbour for three days, during which she was subjected to undisclosed abuse. Despite evidence that she was taken by force, her family refused to believe her account. Her father, uncle, and fiance then took her to an isolated area on the outskirts of Baghdad and killed her.
The relative expressed horror at the ease with which such murders occur in Iraq, noting that the perpetrators no longer fear the law due to widespread corruption. She said that a police officer allegedly asked for a bribe to claim Kawthar had been kidnapped rather than killed, and that her body was moved multiple times to avoid detection. The family reportedly plans to have a brother confess to the murder as an 'honour' killing, allowing the case to be closed.
The relative, along with other women in the family, has been sharing Kawthar's story on social media in the hope of securing justice and a dignified burial. She fears that without intervention, the case will be buried like hundreds of other similar incidents where women and girls are killed simply for trying to survive.
