Iraqi women's rights activist needs support

Submitted by martin on 22 August, 2004 - 4:07

The Organisation for Women's Freedom in Iraq has issued the following appeal for support for Sakar Ahmed, the chair of the OWFI branch in Arbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Sakar Ahmed, the OWFI Arbil branch chairperson, has been subject to ceaseless death threats since mid July 2004 made by her brothers, while she continues her activities in defending women’s rights in Iraq in general and in Arbil specifically.

Sakar Ahmed has been severely assaulted by her brothers, Serdar and Dara. Who attacked her at home where she lives with her mother and two sisters. The scars of physical violence are apparent on her. Now she suffers deep trauma. If this is the destiny of a woman defending her rights and women’s rights, what violence and humiliation are other women subjected to, especially those who are yet to have the chance to defend themselves?

We, the OWFI, while witnessing the organized violence posed by Sakar’s family to stop Sakar’s activities and to maintain reactionary anti-woman practices, ask the government and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan to secure Sakar’s life.

Sakar has waged for more than a decade a wave of struggle in defence of women’s rights, issued "Al-Musawat" in Kurdish for months, run many seminars in Kurdistan, and helped establishing links with women’s organizations in Kurdistan. Now she is authoring a book to document honor killings.

We, the Organization of Woman’s Freedom of Iraq, the bold defenders of woman’s rights, would not accept any harm against Sakar, her mother and her sisters. We hold the government of Democratic of Party Kurdistan and Nechervan Barazany, its President, responsible for Sakar’s and her mother’s and her sisters’ lives. We ask the government to detain Serdar and Dara, who assaulted Sakar and to take this as an action of criminality.

We ask the women’s organizations active in Kurdistan to defend Sakar, one of woman’s activists in Kurdistan. Any violence against any woman in Kurdistan is humiliation and assault against all the women in Kurdistan.

Domestic violence against women is not a family business as Mr. Samad, Sakar’s father, tries to put it. Domestic violence is a concern of the whole society. The community in Kurdistan, as any civilized community, should set its norms and take its measures to stop violence against women no matter what its reasons are.

The Organization of Women’s Freedom of Iraq asks the Nechervan’s government to:

- Completely protect Sakar’s and her sisters’ lives.
- Order her brothers and father not to approach Sakar, her mother and her sisters.
- Sue Serdar and Dara for hitting Sakar.

We ask pro-women organizations and human rights organizations to send support letters to press for stopping domestic violence, to back up a woman activist, and stand up for those women who silently suffer.

It is important to send letters in support of Sakar Ahmed to the Kurdish Democratic
Party of Kurdistan and its government in Arbil and all over the world the list of addresses is attached bellow. Please send a copy of your support letter to our email: nadia64uk@yahoo.com
houzan73@yahoo.co.uk
equalrightsnow@hotmail.com

This website uses cookies, you can find out more and set your preferences here.
By continuing to use this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.