Activists condemn slow probe into Iraqi activist's murder

Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah

The killing of activist Yanar Mohammed will not silence advocacy for women’s rights, the Organization of Freedom of Women in Iraq stated on Sunday, voicing concern over the lack of progress in the investigation three months after her death.

Under the slogan “The Revolution of Yanar Mohammed Continues,” the Organization, alongside the Iraqi Communist Alternative, gathered in Al-Sulaymaniyah to condemn the killing and warn of its wider implications for women’s rights work in the country.

During the ceremony, activist Alaa Kamal from the March 8 Network noted that Mohammed devoted decades to campaigning for women’s and children’s rights, stressing that her death constituted an assault on core principles of freedom, justice, and equality. She also raised questions over the pace and transparency of the official investigation, pointing out that no arrests have been announced and no suspects brought to trial.

On behalf of the board of the Independent Women’s Organization, Bahar Munther described Mohammed as a long-standing humanitarian figure whose work extended beyond political activism into broader social advocacy for women and children in Iraq and the region.

“Mohammed campaigned against polygamy, violence against women, and the so-called honor-related killings,” she added, “consistently pushing for women’s full participation in public life and decision-making.”

Born in Baghdad in 1960, Yanar Mohammed earned a master’s degree from the University of Baghdad and founded the Organization of Freedom of Women in Iraq. She became active in women’s rights advocacy in the 1990s and remained a prominent voice against gender-based violence and discrimination.

On March 2, 2026, two assailants on motorcycles shot Mohammed, 65, outside her home in Baghdad. She later died from her injuries in hospital.