Trans Woman Murdered in Iraqi Kurdish Honour Killing
February 7, 2022The community is mourning the loss of 23 year old make up artist Doski Azad, a trans woman from Iraqi Kurdistan, who was shot and killed by her brother in an apparent 'honour killing'.
Azad, who was documenting her transition on social media, was from the village of Mangesh, was killed sometime in late January. Her brother Chakdar, responsible for the killing, rang the authorities to inform them of her death and his involvement at the start of February, before fleeing the country to Turkey. No arrests have been made.
Doski's uncle confirmed she had moved out from her family around five years ago. It is believed that she had received multiple threats from her family for living as a woman and opening a salon. Her uncle believed "[she] had made a mistake".
The US Consulate has condemned the attack and encouraged the police to investigate and prosecute. Police confirmed that they believe that Doski being transgender was the motive for the crime, but stressed that an investigation was underway.
“Our investigation so far suggests that Doski Azad was killed by her brother at a location just outside the city before he managed to flee crime scene,” said Hemin Suleiman, a spokesman for the Duhok police, adding that the victim was killed by a handgun, according to VOA News.
Kurdish security forces in previous years have been accused of intimidating the LGBTQ+ community, despite authorities insisting otherwise.
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