Abeer Qassim Hamza was a 14 year old Iraqi girl who lived in the village of Al-Mahmoudiyah, southeast of Baghdad. On March 12th Abeer was raped and then burnt and killed in her home. Her mother, father, and younger sister were also shot to death, leaving her two younger brothers parentless. In early July, four US soldiers, and one ex-soldier, were charged with these crimes. Previous to the charges, the ex-soldier, Steven Green, was discharged from the Army for a personality disorder. With the exception of Steven Green, all those involved with the crime will be tried in a military court. The proceedings will be kept confidential, rising doubt as to whether or not a thorough independent investigation will take place. We want to make sure that Abeer, her family, and the tens of thousands of victims of violence in Iraq are not forgotten. On August 19th, Abeer Hamza would have been 15 years old. In rememberance, candle light vigils were held in Los Angeles, Berkeley, and New York. Here are a few pictures from the Berkeley vigil.

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