️ The killing of prominent Iraqi women’s rights activist Yanar Mohammed has triggered an outpouring of grief and calls for justice worldwide. Mohammed, 66, was killed earlier this week after unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire outside her home in northern Baghdad.
️ The Organisation... of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), which Mohammed co-founded, condemned her death as a “cowardly terrorist crime,” calling it a direct attack on feminist struggle and values of freedom. The group demanded accountability for the perpetrators.
️ International rights groups, including Amnesty International, denounced the killing as “brutal” and “a calculated assault to stifle human rights defenders.” Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani allegedly ordered an investigation into the incident.
️ Mohammed had worked since the early 2000s to protect women from gender-based violence, such as domestic abuse and so-called “honour killings.” She established safe houses that sheltered hundreds of women facing exploitation.
️ In a 2022 interview, she highlighted efforts to support women survivors of ISIS violence, criticizing the international community for purportedly failing to adequately address the issue. Mohammed faced death threats for decades but remained defiant in her activism.
️ She was awarded the Rafto Prize in 2016 for her tireless work. The Rafto Foundation expressed deep shock at her killing, describing it as an attack on fundamental human rights values. Other activists and organizations paid tribute, remembering her as a “courageous” advocate for over two decades.Source: www.aljazeera.com
