Prominent Iraqi women’s rights defender Yanar Mohammed was killed [4] outside her Baghdad residence on March 2 by two unidentified men. No group has claimed responsibility for the assassination.
Iraqi Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani has ordered an investigation into the killing. International human rights organizations are urging authorities to identify the perpetrators and halt a continuing pattern of targeted attacks on activists in the country.
Mohammed was the co-founder and director [5] of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq [6] (OWFI [7]). She was widely recognized for her work supporting women facing gender-based violence, which included establishing a network of safe houses across several Iraqi cities.
The assassination comes amid a deteriorating environment [9] for women's rights in Iraq. In February 2025, despite widespread opposition, the Iraqi government implemented amendments to the Personal Status Law. The revisions eliminated the legal marriage age of 18 and removed key protections regarding divorce and inheritance.
Human rights groups heavily criticized the legislation prior to its enactment. Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned [10] the revisions for lowering the minimum age of marriage below international legal standards.
Razaw Salihy, Amnesty International’s Iraq researcher, also stated [11] regarding the law: "Not only does child marriage deprive girls of their education, but married girls are more vulnerable to sexual and physical abuse, and health risks related to early pregnancy."
Following Mohammed’s death, rights groups srtessed the government's failure to protect activists. HRW argued that the assassination was entirely preventable, and aligns with a pattern of high-profile killings of human rights defenders in Iraq over the past decade.
Addressing the broader issue, Amnesty International stated [12]: "The persistent failure of the Iraqi authorities to hold perpetrators accountable for past assassinations has entrenched a climate of impunity that continues to place activists at grave and fatal risk."
From JURIST [13], March 14. Used with permission.
See our 2004 interview [14] with Yanar Mohammed.
