Sunnis in Iraq are kept waiting for reforms, and word on loved ones
Under her black chador, Awatif al-Azawy clutched a few things for her imprisoned husband: a can of 7Up, two falafel sandwiches and a tube of skin cream. But even as she stood in a garden outside Baghdad’s main judicial complex, off limits to the relatives of the accused, she knew she was unlikely to see him. “I […]Tim Arango reports for the New York Times:
Under her black chador, Awatif al-Azawy clutched a few things for her imprisoned husband: a can of 7Up, two falafel sandwiches and a tube of skin cream. But even as she stood in a garden outside Baghdad’s main judicial complex, off limits to the relatives of the accused, she knew she was unlikely to see him. “I just like to spend my time here because I feel closer to my husband,” she said. “If I stayed at home, I’d feel guilty.”
On any given day, Sunni women gather here in search of answers about their men, some of whom have been jailed for years. “The Iraqi Army took my son in March of 2014,” said Tawfika Abbas. “Until now, I don’t know where he is. Zero information.” Another woman, Entisar Gannos, cried for her four sons: one jailed since 2006, another since 2010, and the other two since 2011, all without court hearings.
