Hitmen charge $100 a victim as Basra honour killings rise

[babylonsister]

Hitmen charge $100 a victim as Basra honour killings rise
Fathers and husbands who openly hire assassins on the streets of the city are going unpunished

* Afif Sarhan
* guardian.co.uk, Sunday November 30 2008 00.01 GMT
* The Observer, Sunday November 30 2008


Authorities in the southern Iraqi city of Basra have admitted they are powerless to prevent 'honour killings' in the city following a 70 per cent increase in religious murders during the past year.

There has been no improvement in conviction rates for these killings. So far this year, 81 women in the city have been murdered for allegedly bringing shame on their families. Only five people have been convicted.

During 2007 the Basra security committee recorded 47 'honour killings' and three convictions. One lawyer in the city described how police were actively protecting perpetrators and said that a woman in Basra could now be murdered by hired hitmen for as little as $100 (£65).

The figures come despite international outrage which followed The Observer's coverage of the death of 17-year-old Rand Abdel-Qader, who was murdered by her father last April in an 'honour killing' after falling in love with a British soldier in Basra. The 4,000 British troops stationed in the city since the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003 withdrew to the airport last September.

more...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/30/iraq-honor-killings-women

[Maestro]

1. Disgusting

Some parts of society are just too heinous on which to comment. This is just plain stupid.

[Turbineguy]

2. This is disgusting.

On the other hand....

Maybe Rush Limbaugh would like a tour of the area... :evilgrin:

[DJ13]

3. Can we pay them to commit suicide instead?

[TheWraith]

6. No, but we could pay a dozen of them each to kill a couple of the others.

Might actually make for a good dark comedy film, actually.

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. shocking

[NNN0LHI]

5. Is the Basra security committee some of the Iraqis Bush is paying to keep the peace?

Anyone know?

Don

[Bucky]

7. In economics this is known as a commodity glut driving down prices

At prices like these, competition is going to drive many service providers out of the market.

[Azooz]

8. Basra is owned by 35 death squads

They run the place just as smoothly as the Somali and Afghani war lords do - it's more to do with Bush's friends in action than Islam. There is a death squad dedicated to gays, one dedicated to whistle blowers and many others, and they all make good money of the oil, shipping, protection, so assassinations are not far from their typical line of work. 2 months ago they killed women who did not have the proper head covering - bored mostly and they are easy targets especial when unarmed.

One and a half million Iraqis were killed by those death squads, and they are now much better armed, so you will hear a lot more sad stories but the death squads will stay in place.