After peaceful protesters were attacked and sexually assaulted last Friday in Baghdad's Tahrir Square by un-uniformed armed men, the violence and intimidation continues. Yanar Mohammed, Director of the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), just informed us that these attacks have continued through the weekend and into today. On Saturday, one OWFI activist who had been beaten during Friday's protests found her home ransacked and her possessions destroyed.
Even in the face of these repressive tactics, the women of OWFI continue to organize. They scheduled a press conference for today to generate attention about the attacks. Again, un-uniformed armed men stormed the OWFI offices, blocked the street and surrounded the building, forcibly preventing OWFI from holding the press conference.
Our partners in Iraq refuse to be silenced. You can take a stand by signing on to a petition condemning the violent attacks against protesters and the sexual assault of women activists in Iraq.
To learn more about these recent events in Iraq, read our press release.
