A man has shot and killed his transgender sister in Iraq’s city of Duhok, an official source revealed on Monday.
The source said that the body, which was found in Babukhki village of Mankish district, Dohuk governorate, belongs to a transgender woman.
An Iraqi trans woman got shot by her brother in the name of the family's honor. LGBTQ people are getting killed in the Middle East just for being who they are!! #حق_ضحيه_دهوك pic.twitter.com/nhB5Tvcqtn
— Selin♀️♋ (@bokunotaizai23) January 31, 2022
According to the Iraqi authorities, initial reports show that a man has shot dead his LGBT sister after she shared online posts that she changed her sex from a man to a woman.
Authorities further added that they received a notice from the family confirming that they killed their transgender relative and addressed the police with the location of the corpse.
مقتل متحول جنسياً على يد شقيقه في دهوك بسبب شعوره بالعار من تصرفاته وتحويل نفسه من ذكر الى انثى pic.twitter.com/9QBxW4S2v4
— Screen Mix (@ScreenMix) January 31, 2022
Dohuk police spokesman, Yamen Suleiman, said that the suspect “hasn’t been arrested, so far," noting that the killer lives outside the Kurdistan region.
A few days ago, he went to Dohuk governorate, took his 23-year-old transgender sister away and committed his crime in cold blood.
#حق_ضحيه_دهوك I support LGBT community and their lives are dangerous in the Middle East ?
— سين وألف (@amrivn) February 1, 2022
Mixed reactions were seen on social media regarding the crime; Some slammed this ugly incident and condemned continuous hate crimes against the LGBTQ people, especially in the middle east.
A hashtag “#حق_ضحيه_دهوك” was widely shared where people called for the right of Duhok victim and urged Iraqi authorities to punish the murderer as he wasn’t arrested and is freely wondering around.
A person tweeted: “The Middle East will not change as long as there are disgusting people without mercy or humanity celebrating someone's death even without him/her harming anyone.”
- في تعتيم كامل على إسم الضحية، وتعتيم كامل من أهلها اللي كل اللي عملوه اتصلوا بالشرطة وقالوا إن ابنهم قتل أخته وهتلاقوا جثتها في المكان كذا، عرفتوا ليه الهوموفوبيا مرض نفسي خطير؟ ومش مجرد رأي؟ عرفتوا إن أحنا عايشين وسط أحط المجتمعات حرفياً في الكوكب؟ قرف بجد #حق_ضحيه_دهوك
— A_hmed (@Ahmeeddd44) January 31, 2022
احي اخوه واتمنى ابوه وامه يعفون عنه https://t.co/uTcEZm53ee
— . (@gg_55790) January 31, 2022
On the other hand, dozens of people had celebrated the murder of the transgender sister amid the argument that it does not fit with the community’s traditions and violates the law.
In Iraq, Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are subject to widespread discrimination. Furthermore, homosexuality is still a taboo in most of the Middle Eastern countries where LGBTQ people can face death on the hands of their families, who face no penalty in return.
