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The OISE community mourns the tragic assassination of Yanar Mohammed, a leading Iraqi feminist activist and human rights advocate, who was killed outside her home in Baghdad on March 2, 2026. Her death represents a profound loss for feminist and human rights movements in Iraq and internationally.

Yanar emerged in 2003 as one of the most courageous voices opposing violence, fundamentalism, and the political forces shaping post war Iraq. She became internationally recognized for her outspoken defense of women’s rights and for her critique of the instrumentalization of the women’s movement under occupation.

As the founder of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (established in 2004), Yanar built a vital feminist infrastructure dedicated to supporting women and girls facing violence, displacement, and systemic repression. Through shelters, direct support services, and advocacy, she created spaces of protection and resistance under extraordinarily dangerous conditions.

In 2013, Yanar joined the University of Toronto’s 91ֱ�� (OISE), where she completed the MA in Adult Education and Community Development. During her time at OISE, she contributed significantly to discussions on feminist theory, war, and social movements in the Middle East. Her academic work deepened the global understanding of the intersections of fundamentalism, imperialism, militarization, and gendered violence, culminating in her influential thesis, Theorizing Feminist Struggle in Post war Iraq (2018). Her presence enriched the intellectual community at OISE and left a lasting impact on faculty, students, and researchers. Professor Emeritus Shahrzad Mojab, who supervised Yanar during her MA studies, reflected: “I am personally devastated by her loss. She was a dear friend and a former student. I followed her work and advocacy for women’s rights, and her unwavering critique of the NGOization of the women’s movement as an instrument of post war reconstruction under occupation.”

Yanar’s intellectual contributions were equally significant. Her analysis of the interconnections of fundamentalism, imperialism, war, and militarization informed broader understandings of gendered violence and post conflict reconstruction. Her work continues to resonate across feminist, academic, and activist communities.

Her death occurs amid ongoing violence across the region, where civilians—especially women and girls—continue to bear the heaviest burdens of war and militarization. Yanar consistently reminded global feminist movements of the necessity of uniting in the rejection of imperialism, colonialism, occupation, and fundamentalisms.

Her life’s work stands as a testament to uncompromising commitment, visionary leadership, and collective struggle for justice. Yanar Mohammed’s legacy will continue to guide movements seeking equality, democracy, and liberation for women everywhere.

There is now a global outpouring of grief, rage, and admiration for Yanar. .

• Amnesty International:  
• Madre:  
• Democracy NOW: