Human rights and media activist Hamssa Jasim was assassinated in cold blood on October 6, 2025, when unidentified gunmen opened fire on her vehicle in the Al-Amiri district north of Kut, the capital of Iraq’s Wasit Governorate.

Seven bullets were fired, killing a woman widely regarded as one of Iraq’s most courageous defenders of women’s rights and social justice.

Jasim, known for her outspoken advocacy and fearless commitment to human dignity, had long campaigned for gender equality, accountability, and reform in Iraq. Her killing has sent shockwaves through the country’s civil society and human rights community.

In a statement issued following the attack, Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) condemned the assassination as a heinous and calculated act of silencing and expressed deep sorrow and anger over what it described as a dangerous turning point in Iraq’s shrinking civic space.

“This systematic targeting of activists poses a direct threat to the rule of law and undermines all genuine efforts to build a democratic society grounded in freedom, equality, and accountability,” the organization said.

WJWC warned that the killing of Hamssa Jasim reflects a wider pattern of intimidation against journalists and rights defenders in Iraq, where perpetrators of violence often operate with impunity. Such crimes, the group said, are designed to instill fear and deter citizens from exercising their fundamental freedoms.

The organization stressed that Jasim’s assassination constitutes a grave violation of the right to life—a right guaranteed under both domestic and international law. The Iraqi Constitution explicitly upholds the dignity and protection of every citizen, while Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)—ratified by Iraq—affirms that “every human being has the inherent right to life” and that “no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.”

WJWC also cited the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, which obliges states to safeguard individuals and groups working to promote human rights from violence, reprisals, or threats. The organization emphasized that Iraq has a legal and moral responsibility to ensure the safety of activists and journalists and to hold those responsible for such crimes fully accountable.

Calling the assassination an attack on Iraq’s democratic future, WJWC urged authorities—particularly the Ministry of Interior and the joint investigative team formed by Wasit Police and the Federal Union—to take decisive action and ensure genuine accountability:

• Conduct a prompt, independent, and transparent investigation into the crime, free from political interference.
• Identify and prosecute the perpetrators and examine credible reports linking the attackers to local officials or security elements.
• Provide immediate protection for journalists, activists, and human rights defenders across Iraq.
• Dismantle the entrenched culture of impunity that allows such crimes to persist.

“The credibility of the Iraqi government is now being tested,” WJWC stated. “It must prove that justice is not selective—and that the lives of human rights defenders are not expendable. Forming committees is not enough; what is needed are concrete results that restore public trust and uphold the rule of law.”

WJWC concluded by paying tribute to Hamssa Jasim’s legacy, describing her as “a brave and principled advocate whose voice may have been silenced, but whose mission for freedom, justice, and equality will endure beyond her life.”