22 May, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Thanks to Joanne for alerting me that there’s now a letter writing campaign on Dua’s behalf organized by Amnesty International. If you care about this story, please take a moment to send a letter. Though Dua’s killers have apparently been arrested, the Iraqi penal code offers reduced sentences to men who kill women for reasons of “honor.” These murderers could serve as little as six months in jail. We can only hope that by launching this campaign, the Iraqi officials will take this case and other cases more seriously if they know the international community is watching.

If you click “more” below, you will see the text of the letter that Amnesty suggests sending to the Prime Minister of Iraq. It is in the white box and you can simply copy and paste it into a Word doc, print it out, sign it and mail it. While Amnesty’s letter is addressed to the Prime Minister in Iraq, I really can’t imagine it ever being delivered to the correct government office. Even though the letter is addressed to the Prime Minister, I think it makes more sense to send these letters to the Iraqi Embassies in the US and the UK, where they are more likely to fall into the correct hands and will be read by people who can speak English. I have included the embassy addresses as well. I think a physical letter is preferred, but I also included the e-mail addresses. This campaign will only work if they receive lots of letters. Please spread the word!!! If you have a blog, please post about this. There are thousands of people doing web searches about Dua right now.

The Embassy of the Republic of Iraq

1801 P. Street, NW

Washington, DC 20036

USA

consul@iraqiembassy.org

or

Consular Section

The Embassy of the Republic of Iraq

106 Gloucester Place

London W1U 6HU

UK

lonemb@iraqmofamail.net

Prime Minister Nuri Kamil al-Maliki

Baghdad

Republic of Iraq

Your Excellency,

I am writing to you to express my horror over the stoning to death of Du’a Khalil Aswad which has taken place at the hands of an unruly mob and appears to have been actively enjoyed and promoted by many of those present who filmed and photographed it. I am particularly concerned to learn that it is alleged that law enforcement officials stood by and took no action.

I am urgently calling on you to:

• Ensure that those responsible for the stoning to death of Du’a Khalil Aswad be brought to justice,

• That it be investigated if it is indeed the case that law enforcement officials were present and took no action and if so to prosecute them,

• Amend Iraqi Law to make so-called “Honour killings” a serious criminal offence.

Yours sincerely

[tags]Dua Khalil Aswad[/tags]

1. Comments RSS

1. jen Says:

   May 23rd, 2007 at 6:59 am

   this is great – thanks.

2. Chris Says:

   May 23rd, 2007 at 4:13 pm

   Kudos to you, Joanne and Amnesty Intl for the information. I’ll be sending letters to PM al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani. Talabani is a Kurd who should be particularly devastated since “honor killing” seems to be concentrated among the Kurds in Iraq. A copy of this letter to the UN would also help since there about 5,000 “honor killings” world wide per year. So let’s flood them with tons!

3. Joanne Says:

   May 23rd, 2007 at 4:54 pm

   If you’re aiming for Kurds, don’t leave out Masoud Barzani. Only got an email contact so far.

4. amanda Says:

   June 3rd, 2007 at 5:26 pm

   My heart is broken, my head full of disgrace full image’s, discretion non existent. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME. I watch UNMITIGATED DIPLORITABILTY forced on a TINY LITTLE CHILD/WOMAN. Forever i hope karma will engulf these idiots with eternal damnation. GOD will not forget this…..PERVERTED MURDER IN HIS SO CALLED HONOUR. There is no honour here, just world damnation. I hope all involved live with the images i now have in my head. BABY GIRL, MOTHER MOST GRACEFULL, GIVER OF LIFE, EXICENTULAL MAKER OF WORLDS.DU’A KHALIL ASWAD. I would turn back time and come get you, we would make room in our house for you, we would give you freedom, we would give you grace, we would give you a future, we would give you freedom to love whomever your heart desires,, we would NOT KILL YOU. I say RELIGION is the killer of worlds, for my world has died for the beliefs of the SHAMED who perpetrated your demise. DU’A KHALIL ASWAD. I wish you were alive and happy. I FEEL HATE TO UR KILLERS ,, SO DOES THE REST OF HUMANITY. DU’A KHALIL I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU..

5. essi Says:

   June 8th, 2007 at 6:42 pm

   Thank you a lot of doing this for this girl Du´a. I was so comfused to see this video in jebar.info/badaxua.
   I feel so sorry for this girl.And i would like to make a difference in this,i wish that this will make a HUGE difference. horrible.absolutely horrible.

6. Leslie Wilson Says:

   June 14th, 2007 at 11:41 am

   I pray for the dear soul of Dua Kahlil Aswad. I have ranchor and anger towards the men who stoned her so brutally to death for nothing at all except falling in love. I would, if I could, kill all of them with my own hands by stoning. They so much deserve it. They are in my mind the worst scum of the Earth.
   I can only hope that the outcry over Dua’s stoning will create a movement to stop this totally barbaric practice and will call up shame and remorse in the hearts of all men for their total disregard and disrespect for women. Women are their mothers and sisters and daughters. Women are the mothers of all of us. Women deserve the highest regard and respect. They are much more worthy of respect than are men who are really envious and in terror of women’s power over them. It is this basic fear of women that causes men to react to women the way they do. Men always remain children. It is only women who are able to attain adulthood. It is much more than shameful. It will even be the destruction of the human race if men cannot ever grow up.

7. sepand Says:

   September 26th, 2007 at 5:15 am

   . . .برای روح شکسته ی دعا

   آیینه ی اندوه از نگاه مبهوتم برگیر تا خشم سنگین چنگ انداخته بر قلبم به میدان رسوایی و مجازاتشان بکشاند.آنگاه که لاله زار روشن محبتت را می کوشیدند به زخم حقیر لگدهایشان بی نشان کنند و فریاد سرخت را در قیل و قال درندگیشان گم کنند، آنگاه که تنها به جرم عشق میان جماعتی از نامردمان قبیله ی تاریکی حریر نجابتت را میدریدند و بی شرم تراز شیطان به تیربار سنگ و لگد و دشنامت میبستند و کفتر کوچک آرزوهایت را پر میکندند و سر می بریدند، چشمانت را اشگ میسوخت یا خون؟دلهره ی ماندن و سر برآوردن قلبت را می کوبید یا بهای وصال نچشیده پرداختن و نرسیدن؟

   آنگاه که بی پناهتر از شکار شبانه ی گرگان دستان لرزانت رانقاب صورت خون گرفته ات میکردی میخواستی رذالت چشمانشان را نبینی یا به گمانت آنها نجابت جانت را؟؟؟نمیدانم غربت جانریش آخرین اشگهایت را زار بزنم یا به سکوت_خفتن فریادهای ناباور و نیمه جانت را عربده کشم آنگاه که قابیل قساوت مشگین سپهر گیسوان به خاک افتاده ات را سرشار از کینه ی سنگی سده های جهالت به غروب خون آلود معصومان تاریخ می پیوندد…

8. daniel borowski Says:

   February 23rd, 2010 at 4:46 pm

   As mortals, we unfortunately live in a world of flags, corporatized cultures, corrupt hierarchies, conflicting god’s and convenient labels like “Feminism”, “Racism”, “Imperialism”, etc. Whatever happened to “Person-ism”…the common respect lacking for each other, as “people”? What ever happened to “unconditional love”, which exists in the cores of all religions and hungry appetites of every living individual on this planet?

   Du’a is a tragic victim of this lack of “personism” and as for labels…try “Islamic Inquisition” and her uncle, cousins and those who stood by with cell phones to film “murderers” (period). Unfortunately on that fateful day for Du’a, the only “honorable” person in that town square was HER! She would be so brutally killed for her natural teenage crush and for allowing love to accept another unlike herself. Such happened to Jesus Christ, who was martyred for much the same reasons.

   No insult stereotyped insult intended to the fine people of the Middle East, but isn’t it time, you all stood up for what is truly right. Isn’t it time you respected yourselves and especially your women, who brought you into this world. Stop the “inquisition”! Stop the mis-use of your religions! Stop the brutal murders by mis-guided (and possibly mentally-ill) leaders and husbands. Command respect for your personhood and stop throwing stones at each other…that crap is child’s play worthy of spanking. The continual bad karma you are living there is most likely such from the Divine.

   The “fix” is in each and every individual. Isn’t it time you all do the holiest work of all in sharing “unconditional love” to make your world…our collective world, a whole lot safer and kinder for all? Get busy, before you become the next Du’a. If Du’a’s teenage crush was enough to “threaten” an obvious dysfunctional “order”, it doesn’t say much about the integrity of that order. I recommend you expunge the weakness and tyranny of it all and rise in the light of a new day.

   Thank you Du’a for the lesson. I’m just so very sorry, it came at such a personal cost to you. I will be forever inspired by your spirit and I’m glad you are now beyond the pain of the world you found yourself born into.