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Yanar Mohammed, an Iraqi women’s rights activist and founder of the Organization for Women’s Freedom in Iraq, has reported receiving a recent e-mail containing death threats. According to Ms. Mohammed, the e-mail message had the title "Re: Killing Yanar within a few days" and purported to be from a group calling itself the Army of Sahaba. The message told Ms. Mohammed to stop her activities to promote women’s rights in Iraq, or she would be killed.

Yanar Mohammed is among a number of women’s rights advocates who have launched a campaign against Iraqi Governing Council resolution 137, adopted in December 2003. This resolution seeks to replace Iraqi laws dealing with personal status with Islamic law, administered by clerics. According to women’s rights activists, such a change in the law would have the effect of denying a range of fundamental rights to women.

Please write to Paul Bremer, the Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, as well as to, Dr Adnan Pachachi, the Head of the Iraqi Governing Council, urging them to ensure the protection of Yanar Mohammed and other women’s rights activists in Iraq.