The mysterious death of Dr. Ban Ziyad, a young female psychiatrist in Basra early this month, has gripped Iraq and fuelled widespread anger.

 

The mysterious death of #Dr._Ban_Ziyad, a young female psychiatrist in Basra early this month, has gripped Iraq and fuelled widespread anger.

While initial inquiries suggested suicide, photos and videos that began circulating shortly after the incident raised suspicions of an assassination.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani ordered a follow-up investigation on Friday. A government source told the state-run Iraqi News Agency that the prime minister instructed a thorough follow-up of the investigation into the causes of her death, stressing the need for results to be announced quickly and for the process to remain free from political exploitation.

In an exclusive statement to The New Arab, women’s rights activist Amal al-Kabbashi said the case should not be pre-judged.

"It is the role of the judiciary, which is why we have called for a transparent investigation free from political pressure," she said. "The killing of women will continue as long as there is a safe space for perpetrators to escape punishment under the law, coupled with weak enforcement measures. Today, more than ever, we need a strict law that protects and safeguards the dignity of women and girls, especially amid the rising violence in both the family and society."

Public anger intensified, and the issue became the top trend on the X social media platform after Basra lawmaker Mustafa Sanad claimed in a Facebook video on 14 August that Ziyad had taken her own life for personal reasons. His remarks, made soon after the incident, drew backlash, with activists accusing him and a senior Basra official of being behind her assassination. Sanad has since announced filing lawsuits against several activists.

On Sunday, three Baghdad-based committees — security, medical, and supervisory — finalised their reports on the case and submitted them to the judiciary.

The case comes just months after the high-profile killing of academic Dr. Sarah al-Aboudah in Basra. In June, an Iraqi court sentenced to death by hanging Dhurgham Abdul-Salam Nima al-Tamimi, the brother-in-law of the Basra governor, after convicting him of murdering al-Aboudah. Surveillance cameras captured al-Tamimi shooting the university lecturer in a remote area of Abu al-Khasib, southern Iraq.

The Basra Health Directorate, however, has denied reports circulating on social media linking Ziyad’s death to the al-Aboudah case. Some online posts had claimed Ziyad was part of a committee tasked with assessing the mental health of al-Tamimi, a claim the directorate rejected as "entirely false".

"The late Dr. Ban was never asked to conduct any psychiatric or psychological evaluation of the defendant," the health authority said in a statement, urging media outlets and social platforms to verify information through official sources.

Basra Governor Asaad al-Eidani said last Monday that preliminary investigations indicated the possibility of suicide, though the case would only be settled once the forensic report is released . He added that investigators had reviewed recordings from Ziyad’s personal device that could prove critical to the inquiry, and stressed there was no evidence so far of murder or external pressure.