Jen Psaki, Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson - Washington, DC

September 26, 2014 - The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the torture and murder of Iraqi human rights lawyer Samira Salih al-Nuaimi by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends and to the people of Iraq, whose future she was trying to make brighter.

Ms. al-Nuaimi and other women and girls in Iraq and Syria have been killed for refusing to abide by ISIL’s draconian efforts to strip them of their rights. ISIL’s gruesome tactics, particularly its oppression of women, once again reveal that this cruel and barbaric terrorist organization seeks to inflict violence and fear through its distortion of faith.

After ISIL attacked Mosul, Ms. al-Nuaimi courageously continued her legal and humanitarian work there – despite the serious risks to her safety – because she believed in exposing injustice and helping those in need. As we mourn her tragic loss, the international community must carry on her legacy by speaking with a strong, united voice to condemn and counter ISIL’s lies and to combat its tormented and divisive ideology in the same brave way as Samira Salih al-Nuaimi.