05/03/2026
KMEWO Mourns the Assassination of Comrade Yanar Mohammed
It is with great sorrow to be informed about Comrade Yanar’s Mohammed assassination on Monday 2nd of March 2026 at 9 a.m. by two gun men outside her house in Baghdad.
Yanar- President of the Women’s Freedom Organisation in Iraq and Editor in Chief of the newspaper Al-Mousawat- was one of the most prominent and brave women’s rights activists in her generation. She was a loud and strong voice for women in Iraq and the Middle East, whose fundamental rights have been severely violated over the years. Yanar dedicated her life and career in advocating and fighting for a world free from violence, forced marriage and the impact of Sharia Law in the lives of millions of women and girls.
Her work was driven by the -often overlooked in Middle Eastern countries- values of equality and justice, while she was a vivid example of courage and commitment. After the 2003 US invasion in Iraq, Yanar returned from Canada, where she used to live since 1995 with her family, and became a founding member of Women’s Freedom Organisation in Iraq promoting women’s rights and campaigning against domestic abuse, honour killings and trafficking of young women.
Her devastating loss will be a big and irreplaceable gap in the women’s movement. Kurdish and Middle Eastern Women’s Organisation is mourning the tragic and unfair death of our sister Yanar Mohammed. Her murder is a symbolic act of silencing women’s voice and struggles for equality and equity.
We extend our sincere condolences to her family and friends. We stand in solidarity with all women have been lost or their lives and safety is at risk, as it is not the first time incidents like this occur. We commit ourselves to tirelessly work towards the elimination of any form of violence against women and girls and to raise awareness of the unjust practices they might go through just because of the mere fact of their gender.
We call our sister organisations to support women’s movement in Iraq. We demand Iraqi’s government to respect women’s rights and hold accountable the perpetrators of Yanar’s assassination.
The United Nations and other international and human rights organisations to be aware of these cruel acts ad practices and put pressure on Iraqi’s Governent to guarantee that women’s rights are not at stake.
May Yanar’s Mohammed strength, courage and commitment be a shining guide for us and our work in the years to come.
Kurdish and Middle Eastern Women’s Organisation
Tuesday, 3rd of March 2026
