Court sentences man to death in Kurdistan for murder, attempted rape of girl, 10

The Kurdistan Region’s Duhok Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced a man to death by hanging for the murder of a 10-year-old girl he attempted to rape in Duhok.

The ruling came after a two-hour long trial, with the convicted man confessing to the attempted rape of Dilin and her murder in Duhok, Bakhtiyar Sharafkhani, one of the two volunteering lawyers helping Dilin’s family, told Kurdistan 24 on Tuesday.

“The court’s decision was just and fair,” Sharafkhani said.

After the trial, Dilin’s father stated that he was satisfied with the court’s decision, extending his appreciation to Masoud Barzani and Nechirvan Barzani, two senior Kurdish leaders, for their attention and support of the case.

“I got a call from president Masoud Barzani (leader of the leading KDP and former President of the Kurdistan Region), and he said ‘Dilin was not only your daughter, but mine too, and God Willing, the court will rule fairly in favor of your family,’” the father told Kurdistan 24.

“I thank all the people who extended their sympathies and support after what happened to Dilin,” he added.

Dilin went missing on June 5 in her neighborhood of Zozan, Duhok, on the second day of Eid al-Fitr, while she was out playing with her younger brother and a cousin.

After days of police searches, she was  found dead in a different neighborhood, near Khabat and the Duhok Club building, on June 8.

“The person who killed Dilin first tried to rape her, but she fought back and screamed for help. In the altercation, according to the criminal himself, he snapped a nearby piece of wood and struck Dilin on her neck, twice, resulting in her death,” Tariq Ahmed, Director-General of the Duhok Police, had then told reporters during a press conference.

Dilin’s death came as her family was already mourning for the loss of Dilin’s grandmother.

Following the incident, the people of the autonomous Kurdistan Region flooded social media with sympathies and condolences to the family after pictures of Dilin and her story quickly spread across the internet.

Editing by Nadia Riva