Kurdistan Region appeals court issues death penalty for Khwanas Wrya killer

SULAYMANIYAH — The Kurdistan Region’s Court of Appeals has elevated the sentence of the individual convicted of the 2023 murder of actor Khwanas Wrya, changing it from life imprisonment to the death penalty.

A legal source close to the case informed 964media that the court reviewed the case on Tuesday and decided to impose a harsher punishment due to the public and brazen nature of the crime, which occurred in broad daylight and in full view of onlookers.

Khwanas Wrya, a young actor from the Chamchamal district of Sulaymaniyah, was fatally shot by a motorcyclist on June 22, 2023, while in his twenties. His murder shocked the local community and sparked widespread debate across the Kurdistan Region about the tensions between religious beliefs and personal freedoms.

On June 25, 2024, the Sulaymaniyah Criminal Court sentenced the convicted murderer to life imprisonment during its final session. However, the Kurdistan Region’s Court of Appeals later upgraded the sentence to the death penalty on November 26, 2024.

During the June 25 session, the victim’s family lawyer, Karzan Fazil, argued, “This murder aims to terrorize society and reject any belief that does not align with the perpetrator’s views, setting a dangerous precedent for rejecting diverse beliefs.” In contrast, the defense lawyer claimed, “The accused acted in response to provocations against God, Islam, and the Peshmerga forces.” The defense also alleged that the perpetrator had made several requests for Khwanas to remove specific Facebook posts, which were ignored.

At the time, Khwanas Wrya’s family expressed dissatisfaction with the life imprisonment sentence. “His family expected a harsher penalty,” the lawyer stated to 964media. “In Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, life imprisonment rarely exceeds 20 years for such cases.” Wrya Gli, Khwanas’s father, voiced his frustration: “We are not satisfied with the verdict and plan to appeal. We expected a stricter punishment due to the clear and unjustified nature of the crime and the overwhelming evidence presented.”

Mr. Gli also revealed that members of the perpetrator’s family had approached his family for tribal reconciliation, but they refused to compromise, stating firmly, “We will not trade Khwanas’s blood for peace.”

In the Kurdistan Region, the death penalty remains legally permissible but is rarely enforced, reserved for exceptional cases that provoke widespread public outrage. For example, the 2019 abduction and murder of a child reignited debates about capital punishment. Courts may issue death sentences, but their enforcement requires presidential approval. Former President Masoud Barzani suspended the implementation of capital punishment in 2007, and this policy has largely continued under subsequent administrations.

Khwanas Wrya was a celebrated actor, gaining recognition in 2019 after winning the Best Actor award at the Derbandikhan International Festival. He was also an active member of the Kurdistan Artists Syndicate. His untimely death has left a lasting impact on both the artistic and wider Kurdish communities.