The absence of meaningful progress in the investigation reflects the culture of impunity that Yanar dedicated her life to changing, a culture in which violence against women and girls is routinely tolerated and left unpunished.
Yanar’s murder sparked global outrage and grief. Her death is a profound loss for her family, friends, and colleagues, for the women’s rights movement in Iraq and beyond, and for the countless women and girls she sought to protect. It is also a stark reminder of the risks faced by women’s rights activists in Iraq. The failure by the government to charge anyone in connection with Yanar’s killing sends a chilling message that those who target human rights defenders can act without consequence.
Justice for Yanar Mohammed
The Hurra Coalition (https://apo-opa.co/3QwR08Q), an association of 15 feminist organisations across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) working to reform discriminatory family laws, and Equality Now (https://apo-opa.co/4v2k1YY), the coalition's Secretariat, urge the Government of Iraq to deliver justice for Yanar by conducting a prompt, thorough, and independent investigation.
State authorities must ensure that all those responsible for her death are identified, prosecuted, and held fully accountable in accordance with international human rights standards.
Yanar Mohammed built a network of safe houses for survivors fleeing violence
Yanar, 65, was a courageous advocate for equality and the rights of women and girls. As co-founder and director of the Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) (https://apo-opa.co/4fC0Xfn), she assisted survivors of gender-based violence, domestic abuse, and trafficking, and campaigned to end so-called “honour” crimes.
Under her leadership, OWFI established Iraq’s first women’s shelters and developed a network of safe houses across the country. These shelters continue to provide not only much-needed refuge from violence and exploitation but also counselling, legal support, and vocational training, enabling many hundreds of women to build new lives.
Kawthar Bashar Al-Husayjawi killed after resisting forced marriage
In an interview with Nobel Women’s Initiative (https://apo-opa.co/4ggRASu), Yanar said: “My work is focused on protecting women in Iraq from the crimes of patriarchy. The government has allowed an agenda that is dismissive of women’s rights. The government policies are based on religion and are extremely patriarchal and tribal, and they preach hatred of women. Iraq has become a place where polygamy is encouraged, where honour killings are allowed, and child marriage is an everyday occurrence.”
This cruel reality was tragically demonstrated by the killing in May 2026 of Kawthar Bashar al-Husayjawi, a 15-year-old girl from Baghdad. Writing in The Guardian, a female relative described how Kawthar had tried to escape a forced marriage (https://apo-opa.co/4oiT4xy) to an older cousin who had recently been released from prison. Kawthar was allegedly shot ten times by her father, uncle, and cousin, while an unverified video circulating widely online reportedly shows family members celebrating her death.
The female relative explained that Kawthar had already survived one abusive child marriage. At just 13 years old, she was removed from school and forced to marry an alcoholic who was much older than her. After enduring a year of violent mistreatment, she returned to her family seeking protection. Instead, they tried to pressure her to return to her abuser and kept her under effective house arrest.
Following repeated threats to kill herself, Kawthar was granted a divorce by a court in late 2025, only to face new efforts by her family to force her into another unwanted marriage.
Kawthar’s case demands the same urgent commitment to justice as Yanar’s. The Iraqi authorities must conduct a thorough investigation and ensure full accountability for all those involved. Failure to do so would reinforce the culture of impunity that emboldens would-be perpetrators, enables gender-based violence, and undermines efforts to protect women and girls at risk. Breaking this cycle is integral to honouring Yanar’s legacy.
Standing in solidarity with women’s human rights defenders
At this critical moment, Hurra Coalition members stand in full solidarity with women human rights defenders, particularly those in Iraq. No one should be defamed, threatened, or harmed because of their human rights work, nor should institutional barriers be used to restrict or suppress their activism.
As a regional movement spanning the Middle East and North Africa, we will continue to amplify the vital work of Iraqi civil society and support efforts to advance women’s rights and fundamental freedoms. We urge the Iraqi authorities to take immediate steps to protect human rights defenders and guarantee a safe and enabling environment in which they can carry out their work without risk of harassment, violence, or reprisals.
More determined than ever, we remain committed to advancing the causes that Yanar championed throughout her life. Her courage, leadership, and unwavering dedication to ending gender-based violence continue to inspire our efforts to build a future where all women and girls can live with equality, dignity, and freedom in Iraq and across the region.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Equality Now.
About The Hurra Coalition:
The Hurra Coalition (https://apo-opa.co/3QwR08Q) is a regional network of feminist and human rights organisations across the Middle East and North Africa working to reform discriminatory family laws and ensure equality and justice for women and girls. Established in 2019 as an initiative by Equality Now and six founding members, it serves as a platform for solidarity, legal advocacy, and coordinated regional campaigning.
Today, Hurra includes 15 national women’s rights organisations from nine Arab countries, encompassing legal associations, research centres, anti-violence institutions, and development organisations. This diversity enables the coalition to draw on deep national expertise and collective regional strategies to advance reform.
About Equality Now:
Equality Now is a worldwide human rights organisation dedicated to securing the legal and systemic change needed to end discrimination against all women and girls. Since its inception in 1992, it has played a role in reforming over 130 discriminatory laws globally, positively impacting the lives of hundreds of millions of women and girls, their communities and nations, both now and for generations to come.
Working with partners at national, regional and global levels, Equality Now draws on deep legal expertise and a diverse range of social, political and cultural perspectives to continue to lead the way in steering, shaping and driving the change needed to achieve enduring gender equality, to the benefit of all.
For more details, go to www.EqualityNow.org.
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