Woman strangled to death by husband in Akre, Iraqi Kurdistan

AKRE,— A Kurdish woman was found dead in Mamlyan Camp, located in Akre, Duhok province, in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, after being strangled by her husband, local police confirmed.

The Akre Police Directorate, working alongside crime investigators and officers from the Anti-Crime Department and Garda Shin Police Station, responded to the scene following reports of the incident.

Officials said the victim, aged 29, was pronounced dead, and her body was transferred to the forensic medical department in Duhok for further examination.

Authorities arrested the suspect and moved him to Duhok, where he remains in custody under Article 406 of the Iraqi Penal Code. Investigations are ongoing, police stated.

Violence against women remains a pressing concern in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, with multiple cases of domestic abuse, honor-based crimes, and femicide recorded each year. Many of these incidents are attributed to personal and societal conflicts, according to officials.

A February 2025 report from the Campaign Against Killing Women documented at least 48 femicide cases in Iraqi Kurdistan throughout 2024. The highest number of killings occurred in Erbil Governorate, where 18 women were murdered.

Activists point to forced marriages, honor-related killings, and domestic abuse as persistent threats to women in the region.

In February 2025, a woman was fatally shot by her husband in Erbil province’s Bnaslawa district.

In January, a 26-year-old female member of the Zeravani militia was killed by her brother. Later same month, a Kurdish woman in Penjwen was murdered by her husband, who has dismembered her remains.

In a separate case earlier in February 2025, an Iraqi model and social media influencer was found dead in Erbil after being strangled and burned, further fueling concerns over gender-based violence.

Advocacy groups continue to call for stronger legal protections and harsher penalties for those responsible for such crimes, stressing the urgent need for systemic reforms to protect women’s lives.