A memorial service was held in the Sulaymaniyah province in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) on the anniversary of the murder of Nagihan Akarsel. On Saturday, numerous people gathered at the site of the assassination in the Bextiyarî neighborhood to commemorate the journalist, author, and co-founder of the Jineolojî Research Center.
The ceremony began with a minute of silence. Flowers were then laid and candles lit at the spot where Akarsel was shot dead by a hitman working for the Turkish secret service on October 4, 2022.
Loss left a deep wound in Kurdish society
A statement read by political activist Sara Reza said that Akarsel’s murder had “left a deep wound in the soul of society. “Akarsel was not only a researcher and publicist, but also a driving force in the establishment of the Kurdish Women’s Archive and the Women’s Library in Sulaymaniyah. Her thoughts and her work became targets and she herself fell a martyr.”
“Nagihan was a woman whose strongest weapons were her thoughts, knowledge, and her pen,” said Reza. “Her work was part of a larger struggle for self-determination, historiography, and the collective memory of women. We will not just settle for grief, but will continue to pursue and realize her dreams,” the statement continued.
Her words have crossed borders
Sara Reza also referred to the international dimension of Akarsel’s work: her words, books, and ideas had long crossed borders—from Kurdistan to Europe and beyond. “Events are currently being prepared in several countries to mark the publication of her writings. This, too, was part of her enduring legacy.”
“The identity of the free Kurdish woman has become a symbol that is recognized worldwide. Women draw hope from their history and their resistance,” said Sara Reza. “Nagihan Akarsel contributed to bringing the knowledge and memories of women from the archives back into society.”
The memorial event ended with a call to continue the feminist and collective struggle that Akarsel had fought throughout her life.