Iraqi students Stoned to Death for being Different: 90 Killed, Number of deaths could be even higher

Image: Iraqi activists said this unnamed teenager was brutally killed by religious police for having an 'emo' hairstyle

Youngsters in Iraq are being stoned to death for having haircuts and wearing clothes that emulate the ‘emo’ style popular among western teenagers.

At least 14 youths have been killed in the capital Baghdad in the past three weeks in what appears to be a campaign by Shia militants.

Militants in Shia neighbourhoods, where the stonings have taken place, circulated lists yesterday naming more youths targeted to be killed if they do not change the way they dress.

The killings have taken place since Iraq’s interior ministry drew attention to the ‘emo’ subculture last month, labelling it ‘Satanism’ and ordering the community police force to stamp it out.

Fans of the ‘emo’ trend – short for emotional – wear tight jeans and have distinctive long, black or spiky haircuts.

The bodies of at least 14 youths have been taken to three hospitals in eastern Baghdad bearing signs of having been beaten to death with rocks.

After reports of the stonings circulated on Iraqi media, the interior ministry said this week that no murders on its files could be blamed on attacks on ‘emos’. Read More

The exact death toll remains unclear, but Hana al-Bayaty of Brussels Tribunal, an NGO dealing with Iraqi issues, said the current figure ranges 'between 90 and 100.'