ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The death of Iraqi YouTube star Tiba al-Ali at the hands of her father has sparked outrage in the conservative country where so-called "honor killings" remain rife.
Ali, 22, was killed by her father in Iraq's Diwaniyah province on January 31 after previous attempts by the police to mend relations within the family "in a definitive manner," Saad Maan, the interior ministry spokesperson, tweeted on Friday.
The blogger had traveled to Turkey with her family in 2017, but chose to remain there instead of returning with her family to Iraq. She later gained a following on YouTube where she blogged about daily life with her Syrian-born fiancé.
Unverified recordings of conversations between Ali and her father appeared to indicate that he was unhappy about her decision to remain in Turkey, according to AFP. In the recording, Ali also revealed to her parents that she was raped by her brother in 2017. Her parents acknowledged the assault but told her to forget about the incident.
After strangling his daughter to death, Ali's father surrendered to the authorities, according to Maan.
Amnesty International condemned the "horrific murder" of Ali and criticized Iraqi authorities for failing to take proper measures to counter "honor killings."
"Until the Iraqi authorities adopt robust legislation to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, we will inevitably continue to witness horrific murders such as that suffered by Tiba Ali, apparently at the hands of her own father," said Aya Majzoub, Amnesty's Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Ala Talabani, the former head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in the Iraqi parliament, blamed the killing on "backward customs."
Women in our societies are hostage to backward customs due to the absence of legal deterrents & gov measures - which currently are not commensurate with the size of domestic violence crimes. Yes to legislating the Anti-Domestic Violence Law. #طيبة_العلي
— Ala Talabani آلا طالباني (@TalabaniAla) February 2, 2023
Iraq lacks proper legislation to prevent and punish honor killings, according to the UN. Domestic violence remains a serious problem despite the prohibition of "all forms of violence and abuse in the family" in the Iraqi constitution as the country has no specific law dealing with violence against women. Efforts were made to pass a law on domestic violence in the Iraqi parliament in 2019 and 2020, but progress has stalled. The Iraqi penal code permits "honor" as mitigation for crimes of violence committed against family members and distinguishes such crimes from murder.
"Iraq has failed to criminalize domestic violence despite an increase in reporting of incidents of domestic violence by national NGOs. Shockingly, the Iraqi penal code still treats leniently so-called "honor crimes' comprising violent acts such as assault and even murder," Amnesty stated.
The death of Ali has sparked national outrage among Iraqis on social media, who have called for protests in Baghdad on Sunday to demand justice for her.
