A 15-year-old Iraqi girl, Kawthar Bashar al-Husayjawi, was murdered by male relatives after she refused to marry her cousin. The men shot her 10 times and struck her head with an axe before burying her body in a pit. Her family then took to the streets to dance and celebrate her death.
Kawthar had been forced out of school at age 13 to marry an older alcoholic. After a year of abuse, she fled home but was placed under house arrest and pressured to return to her husband. She obtained a divorce in late 2025, but soon after, her cousin—recently released from prison—sought to marry her. Kawthar refused, citing his involvement with drugs and alcohol, but her family ignored her wishes.
In early May, as the wedding approached, Kawthar fled again. A neighbour abducted her for three days, subjecting her to undisclosed horrors. Although surveillance footage appeared to show she was taken by force, her family disbelieved her. Her father, uncle, and fiancé interrogated her before taking her to an isolated area on the outskirts of Baghdad, where they killed her.
Relatives later moved her body multiple times out of fear. An officer allegedly demanded a bribe to claim she had been kidnapped rather than murdered. A female relative, speaking anonymously, said she and other women in the family reported the crime to media in hopes of justice. She fears the case will be closed as an 'honour' killing, with a brother likely confessing to protect the others.
The relative expressed terror at how easy murder has become for men in Iraq, who no longer fear the law due to widespread corruption. She noted that no one in the family appeared to grieve; instead, men celebrated publicly. Kawthar's body remains unburied with dignity, and the case highlights the ongoing threat of forced marriage and violence against women and girls in Iraq.
