UNAMI Strongly Condemns the Continued Practice of Honor Killings

“Honor is not an excuse to justify such nefarious acts against female family members and the perpetrators of such crimes must be held accountable according to law”, the United Nations mission in Iraq said.

"In this case it is encouraging to see that the police and judiciary in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have actively investigated this crime and have issued a warrant for the alleged perpetrator's arrest", said the Director of the Human Rights Office and Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Iraq, Francesco Motta. "However more needs to be done to address cultural attitudes amongst some sectors of the community that regard violence against family members, particularly against women, as justifiable on the basis of so-called honor".

While the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has repealed sections of the Criminal Code that permit reasons of honor as mitigation for crimes of violence committed against family members, these provisions remain in force in the Iraqi Criminal Code. "It is imperative that the Government of Iraq removes these discriminatory clauses from the Criminal Code so as to ensure that any individual who commits an act of violence against a family member, particularly against women and children, will be held accountable according to law without excuse", Mr. Motta added.