Samira al-Nuaimy
"A female human rights lawyer in the northern city of Mosul was executed by firing squad at the orders of Islamic State extremists, activists said Thursday, sparking international outrage. But she was not the first to suffer such a fate in a city where the militants' rule is increasingly oppressive - especially for women. Samira al-Nuaimy, known locally for her pro bono legal and humanitarian work, was executed last week, according to rights activists and residents. The United Nations said that she was killed in a public square and that her body showed signs of torture when it was returned to her family. Since seizing control of the Iraqi city in June, the Islamic State has expelled religious minorities and steadily stepped up its oppression of those who remain. New rules ban women from working in jobs other than health care and education, where they are deemed necessary to treat and teach other females. A regulation requiring all women to fully veil their faces was initially unenforced. But now, breaking that rule can trigger heavy penalties, including beatings. Women such as Nuaimy, who refuse to submit to the militants, risk losing their lives. 'Samira was not the first,' said Suha Oda, a 29-year-old social activist from Mosul who has moved to the Kurdish-administered area nearby but monitors human rights issues in the city. Four women have suffered a similar fate over the past month, she said, including three doctors who were executed last week. Iraqi media reports said the women had been killed because they refused to treat a wounded Islamic State fighter."