Syrian minor shot dead by her family for refusing to marry her cousin

Abu Dhabi: A video showing a minor Syrian girl being shot dead by family members in the countryside of Al Hasakah Governorate for reportedly refusing to marry her cousin caused outrage on social media across Syria, local media reported.

More than 10 young men murdered the girl by automatic rifles in an abandoned house, and the horrific footage showed her fighting to survive, a man was heard asking another to shoot her in the head to die on the spot, which was what happened.

No official statement was issued by the security authorities in eastern Syria. But officials of the Centre for Research and Protection of Women’s Rights in Northeast Syria confirmed the crime with security officials, who reportedly said it had been committed three days before it was published on social media on Thursday.

The activists added those accused, included the victim’s father, brothers and the cousin, who were still on the run.

There were conflicting reports about the age of the victim and the reason for her killing. The Syrian newspaper Al Jisr reported that the girl was about 20 years old, and her family killed her after learning about her affair with a young man from the region. The young man fled to Turkey, only to leave the victim face the tragic fate, the newspaper reported.

However, activists said that the girl was aged between 13-16, and that the reason for the heinous crime was her refusal to marry her cousin, who participated in the murder, and that she tried to escape, but the accused chased and killed her.