Protest harassment of women's rights activists by Kurdish nationalists!

Dear Friends,

Endeavours of the women’s movement are being endangered in Iraq. One of our offices in the Northern Kurdistan of Iraq is being threatened to be closed by a local political party – the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). We need your support in order to defend our right to organise within women’s organisations.

We need you to email your letter of protest to one of the emails and/or fax numbers provided below.

Your letters can be either personalised and written by yourselves, or you could copy and paste the format provided below with your signature, your organisation name and your position in your organisation.

We appreciate your support and in order to record it, please cc. us in your email. Our email address is : owfi_campaign [at] hotmail.com

The continuation of our work in that part of Iraq depends on your support. Please do not delay.


In Solidarity,

Yanar Mohammed

Chairperson of Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq





To: Patriotic Union of Kurdistan

Attn: Jalal Talabani

Re: Denouncing PUK’s Threats against OWFI’s office in Suleimaniyah

Date: …………….



To Mr. Jalal Talabani,



We are writing this letter to you in support of the Organisation of Women’s Freedom (OWFI) in Iraq. We understand that your security forces are threatening OWFI’s right to organize women and exercise their political freedom.

We demand that your forces immediately end these harassments against their office in the city of Suleimaniyah in Kurdistan of Iraq.

Millions have suffered in Iraq for decades under the political pressure and oppression of Saddam Husein. They have also suffered during this past military attack. The only positive outcome of which is getting rid of oppression and suppresion of political will. This censorship of women’s groups cannot be justified in the post-Saddam era. By so doing, you are perpetuating the same oppressive patterns used previously by the bloody dictatorship of the Baath Regime and Saddam Hussein.

OWFI’s right to set up an office, exercise their political freedom, and mobilize the masses of women to achieve social and political changes should be protected under the charter of human rights.

We expect that you give instructions to your security forces immediately and be up to the responsibility handed to you as a member of the Iraqi Governing Council.



Name: …………………………….



Organisation name: ……………..

Position in Organisation: ………….





Cc: owfi_campaign [at] hotmail.com





Contact Information:

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Fax: + 90 (312) 436 1252

Or


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