ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Several police officers were arrested on Monday after viciously attacking a group of women at a court in Sulaimani, beating them up for loudly criticizing a judge’s recent ruling on the murder of a member of their family, raising questions on the protection of women in the Kurdistan Region.
Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani ordered the arrest of a group of police officers who violently attacked a group of women in a court of law in Sulaimani, kicking and throwing them around as the women protested a judge’s ruling.
In footage obtained by Rudaw English, over a dozen police officers can be seen approaching a group of 10 sisters and their mother who had been loudly critical of a judge’s ruling on the unjust murder of their brother whose body was found in April 2019. Tariq Baqal’s body was found by Sulaimani’s local security forces (Asayish) while attempting to arrest three suspects for his murder.
Dressed in a khaki army suit and on duty, one officer grabs one of the women from behind, kicking her right thigh harshly. He then drags her to the floor throwing her against the wall. The women’s screams echoed in the courthouse.
The officer later turned around in an attempt to continue beating her up when another woman attempted to hit him with her bag from behind. Seconds after, the woman can be seen saving herself as she runs from the brutal hands of the officer whose task it is to protect civilian lives.
The other officers are seen pushing and gathering around the rest of the women.
Lawyer Shoxan Ahmed, who was the first to break the news on Facebook, confirmed the violent incident to Rudaw English saying such behavior should not be acceptable.
Ahmed posted a screenshot of the beating on Facebook, commenting that “unfortunately we see very unpleasant situations inside the court daily.”
"Not beating, but there have been many instances of dragging, grabbing, and forcing suspects and criminals to attend before the court,” Ahmed told Rudaw’s Shahyan Tahseen on Monday.
Rudaw English reached out to Sulaimani’s court for clarification but they were not immediately available for comment.
However, shortly after the incident, Talabani released a statement announcing the arrest of all the police officers who had initiated the assault on the group of women.
“It is the duty of the police and security forces to raise their employees’ awareness about professionalism and respecting the dignity of citizens,” the deputy prime minister wrote.
Karzan Amir, spokesperson for Kurdistan Region’s police, told Rudaw that a committee has been formed to investigate the situation, confirming that all the policemen depicted in the video have been arrested, without mentioning a specific number.
A family member of one of the women who was beaten up told Rudaw English that the group of women had also been arrested, although they were released early Monday evening.
The relative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that one of the sisters had sworn at one of the suspects, leading the judge to issue an order for the arrest of the women before the events depicted in the video.
The three men initially confessed to the murder and were sentenced to death by a judge, but have since appealed the court’s decision and claimed that they only admitted to the murder due to pressure from the Asayish. They are seeking to reduce their sentence from the death penalty to seven years imprisonment.
The news sparked backlash on social media.
“If those who are tasked with protecting women and upholding the rule of law fail, what hope is there?” wrote women’s rights advocate Ruwayda Mustafa on Twitter.
Another user said, “there are no justifications for this behavior.”
Struggling for their rights in a patriarchal and conservative society, women in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are often victims of gender-based violence including sexual violence, domestic violence, so-called honor violence, child marriages, and female genital mutilation.
The recent incident comes at a sensitive time, as at least two women are killed across the Region on a monthly basis.
Erbil police on Sunday arrested a man suspected of murdering his ex-wife.
Last week, a 22-year-old woman was found dead in the Kurdish capital on the same day as her wedding anniversary.
In December, the Kurdistan Region launched an app to tackle violence against women. It also set up a support hotline for victims of violence in 2018, about seven years after the Kurdistan Regional Government passed its Combating Domestic Violence Law, criminalizing domestic violence and equipping the directorate to combat violence by investigating it.
Additional reporting by Chenar Chalak
Updated at 7:25 pm
