The assassination of human rights defender Yanar Mohammed: a blow to Iraq’s feminist movement and civil society

The assassination of feminist activist and human rights defender Yanar Mohammed on 2 March in Baghdad has raised deep concern among civil society organisations working to defend human rights in Iraq.

Yanar Mohammed was president and co-founder of the Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) and one of the most prominent voices in Iraq’s feminist movement.

A life dedicated to defending women’s rights

Mohammed co-founded OWFI in 2003 with the aim of promoting women’s rights and combating gender-based violence in a context marked by decades of war and instability.

For more than two decades she worked to protect women and girls fleeing domestic violence, forced marriage, human trafficking and so-called “honour killings”. Under her leadership, the organisation developed a network of safe shelters in several Iraqi cities, providing protection and support to hundreds of women at risk.

Her work made her an internationally recognised figure in the defence of women’s rights. In 2016 she received the Rafto Human Rights Award, which recognises individuals and organisations committed to defending human rights in particularly challenging contexts.

A dangerous context for activists and defenders

According to several human rights organisations, this assassination forms part of a broader pattern of threats, intimidation and attacks against activists, journalists and human rights defenders in Iraq, in a context marked by persistent violence and impunity.

These organisations warn that ongoing violence and impunity continue to endanger those working to defend rights and freedoms in the country.

Civil society’s response

The Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative (ICSSI), an international network supporting Iraqi civil society and of which NOVACT is a member organisation, has condemned the assassination and called for an independent and transparent investigation to identify both the direct perpetrators and anyone who may have ordered, facilitated or concealed the crime.

The network has also called for effective protection measures for women human rights defenders, who continue to carry out their work in an increasingly risky environment.

From NOVACT we express our solidarity with OWFI, with Yanar Mohammed’s colleagues and with her family, and we join the demands of Iraqi civil society to ensure that this crime does not go unpunished and that stronger protection guarantees are put in place for those defending human rights.

The full ICSSI statement can be read here.