Prominent Iraqi women's rights activist Yanar Mohammed killed by gunmen in suspected assassination

Pioneering Iraqi feminist and activist Yanar Mohammed was shot and killed outside her residence in the capital Baghdad on Monday.

Mohammed was reportedly killed after two unidentified gunmen opened fire on her at around 09:00 am local time as she stood outside of her home in Baghdad’s northern neighbourhood of al-Banoq. The activist was then rushed to hospital but succumbed to her injuries.

According to local media, Mohammed had only returned to Iraq from Canada a few days prior to her killing, raising questions on whether her whereabouts and activities were being tracked, and whether her death was the result of a targeted assassination.

No group has claimed responsibility and Iraqi authorities have yet to issue a statement on her death.

The Organisation of women’s Freedom in Iraq, the NGO that Mohammed founded, confirmed her death in a statement which read: "With profound sorrow and grief, and in a shock that words cannot describe, the Women's Freedom Organization in Iraq mourns the passing of its president, Yanar Mohammed, and extends its condolences to the liberation movement, the women's rights movement in Iraq, and the world at large."

Mohammed has been recognised as one of the country’s leading activists for women's rights in the country, having dedicated her life to protecting the country’s women from violence and other forms of abuse and exploitation.

In 2003, she founded the first women’s shelter in Iraq, which served to protect women from so-called honour killings and sex trafficking. The organisation was first launched as the Defence of Iraqi Women’s Rights organisation in 1998.

Her shelters spanned multiple cities and provided refuge for more than 1,300 women.

Born in 1960, Mohamed was not just the founding member and director of the Organisation for Women's Freedom in Iraq, but also served as the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Al-Musawat, which translates to "Equality" in English.

She was the recipient of the Gruber Foundation Award for Women's Rights in 2008, the Rafto Prize in 2016, and was most recently awarded the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law last year.

Violence against women in Iraq has witnessed a rapid increase in recent years, with high-profile female activists often being targeted and killed. In 2020, doctor and activist Riham Yaqoob was shot dead in the southern city of Basra after leading local anti-government protests.