Widad Akrawi
Widad Akreyi is a Kurdish health expert and human rights activist. She has co-founded the human rights organization Defend International and is the author of several books about both health issues and human rights.
Akreyi holds a master's degree in genetics and a PhD in international health and epidemiology. Violations of human rights that occurred during the Iraqi government offensive against the Kurds in 1974, as well as during the Al-Anfal Campaign are thought to have shaped her life.
She has been listed as one of the winners of the Fellowship of Reconciliation peace awards, where she was called "outspoken peace activist" and the "first young woman of Middle Eastern descent" to engage in advocacy relating to illicit trade of small arms and light weapons, gender-based violence, chemical and biological disarmament, conventional disarmament and international security.
In 2013, Akreyi was awarded the "Special Prize for bridging the gap between civilisations" by the National Organisation for Future Generations for making valuable contributions to humanity through the creation of a culture of coexistence. When she received the International Pfeffer Peace Award in 2014, she dedicated it to the residents of Kobane and Sinjar and the persecuted Christians in the Middle East. In 2017, she was presented with the Davenport mayor medal and the Pacem in Terris Award for "her selfless commitment to human rights for all."
In 2018, she received the International Simply Woman Harmony Award for devoting her life to defending human rights, and in 2020 she was handpicked as a woman of the year 2020.
Biography
Akreyi was born into a secular family in Kurdistan region, Iraq. In her early and her teenage years, she resisted every effort made by members of the Baath Party to induce her to gain her trust and become a member, which caused her to be blacklisted for a period of time.In 1986, she moved to Erbil where she studied civil engineering with a focus on designing roads and bridges at the Salahaddin University. In 1988 she was secretly involved in documenting torture and other violations of human rights throughout Iraq. The following year, she became politically involved in various struggles for human rights, peace, social justice, democratic governance and ethnic reconciliation. Her advocacy of anti-authoritarianism and her criticism of the use of excessive force against civilians were not without risk and threat to her life and the lives of her family members. Her involvement in these issues became more intense after the Al-Anfal Campaign, also known as the Kurdish Genocide. Despite difficult times, she managed to complete her B.Sc. in 1990.
After the first Gulf War, when the Iraqi regime regained control of the Kurdistan region through an offensive in spring 1991, she was forced to leave her country.
In the diaspora, Akreyi earned a master's degree in genetics and genomics and a PhD degree in global health and cancer epidemiology. She has served as a clinical geneticist, researching inherited diseases.
Akreyi is the co-founder of Defend International, an NGO whose mission is "to respond to grave violations of human rights and of International Humanitarian Law, monitor the implementation of preventive measures that are designed to end impunity for the perpetrators of these crimes, conduct medical research that may either directly or indirectly improve the health standard of communities, and to promote peace and democracy through cultural relations and diplomacy."
Dedication to human rights
Akreyi's passion for human rights started many years ago when she advocated for her classmates at her school. As she grew up, she helped to establish a secret working group against torture in Iraq, dedicated to collecting evidence of torture and other human rights abuses. In 1987, she was secretly interviewing the victims and their families. She raised awareness about the impacts of torture and other violations of human rights on civilians. In 1990, she was engaged in advocating for gender equality and women's empowerment in the Middle East and North Africa region. She then co-founded a regional Women's Working Group and organised programs to enhance women's participation in peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction.Continuing activism
In the diaspora, Akreyi launched campaigns, wrote articles and spoke in panel discussions on human rights, international conventions and peace. In 2005, she was elected, among Arabic-speaking bloggers from around the world, as the MENA region's most prominent blogger. She was awarded the prestigious title of "Queen Blogger" for two years until she resigned. Her first involvement with Amnesty International was in 1994, when she started to do volunteer work. In March 2006, the International Secretariat of Amnesty International thanked her for her efforts in support of Amnesty's campaigns, especially her effective use of the internet as a tool for human rights education and mobilisation. In February 2006, she was appointed as "Stop Torture" ambassador for Amnesty International. She was elected in the executive committee of Amnesty International in April 2006.In June 2006, Akreyi co-chaired the first regional conference on control arms held in Cairo and was part of a delegation of high-profile activists who met with policy-makers at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Egyptian Parliament. In June 2007, she quit Amnesty International and co-founded Defend International. Same year, she was elected as a co-chair of the Women's Working Group on MENA Region.
It is observed that Akreyi has created partner agreements with leading NGOs like the International Action Network on Small Arms, Cluster Munition Coalition and the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. She has launched campaigns to defend the rights of writers, civil society activists, children, girls, women's rights defenders, students, professors, prisoners on death row and prisoners on hunger strikes. She has over 20 years of experiences in the areas of human rights, gender equality, women's empowerment, grassroots organising, intercultural communication, strategic planning, international security, peace and international conventions.
Pfeffer Peace Prize
Akreyi has been awarded the 2014 International Pfeffer Peace Award for "creating momentum in favor of a UN resolution on a strong and an effective Arms Trade Treaty to prevent the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons that might be used for acts of genocide, crimes against humanity, or terrorism," as well as for lobbying for the "UN Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict and the UN Resolution 2117 dedicated to halting illicit transfer, destabilizing accumulation, and misuse of small arms and light weapons" around the world.Following the announcement by the US Fellowship of Reconciliation on 18 September 2014, the award was presented to her on 13 October 2014 by Rev. Lucas Johnson, International Coordinator for the International Fellowship of Reconciliation. Akreyi dedicated the award to the 50 million refugees who have been displaced as a direct result of conflict, persecution or the irresponsible transfer of conventional arms, and particularly mentioned the Yazidis, Christians, and all residents of Kobanê region.
Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award
Widad received the Pacem in Terris Award in 2017 for committing her life's mission to peace and justice, advocating "for human dignity for all in the Middle East," alleviating "suffering and promoting peace and equal rights and opportunities for all," and for documenting crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing, torture and other human rights violations, as well as for her "pursuit of justice through medical research and the monitoring of peace initiatives." The Quad-City Times stated that she "earned her place among the world's brightest brokers of peace."The 47th Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award was presented to Akreyi on 22 October 2017 by Bishop Thomas Zinkula of the Diocese of Davenport during a ceremony in Christ the King Chapel on the St. Ambrose University. Following her acceptance of the award she gave a speech about what she has witnessed, "moving some in the audience to tears." She cautioned the audience that easy solutions to the crises around the globe are not possible and said that "We must remember compassion is contagious. The more we spread it the more people will cherish it and share it."
The mayor of Davenport, Iowa has presented Akreyi with the Davenport medal.
International Simply Woman Harmony Award
On 23 November 2018, Akreyi was awarded the International Simply Woman Harmony Award in Italy for her struggle against violations of human rights and gender-based violence.Humanitarian initiatives and peace and security efforts
Arms Trade Treaty
In 2005, Akreyi began advocating for a UN resolution on a strong and an effective Arms Trade Treaty to prevent the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons that might be used for acts of genocide, crimes against humanity, or terrorism.Prohibition against torture
In 2005, she joined a campaign to require a prohibition against torture in the Danish criminal code. She has served as ambassador of Amnesty International's "Stop Torture" campaign.Created bridges to Arabic-speaking audiences
Since 2005 she has been engaged in online discussions, blogging and other interactive techniques through which she was able to create online bridges to Arabic speaking audiences by becoming part of online dialogue and debate. In 2006, the International Secretariat of Amnesty International praised her activities in support of Amnesty's campaigns, noting that her involvement boosted Amnesty's "chances of success."In 2008, Akreyi joined an international campaign against Eid aerial firing.
Gender-based violence
In March 2008, she joined the international campaign to end gender-based violence at gunpoint.In a press release published in February 2013, Akreyi called on UN negotiators of the Arms Trade Treaty to include a legally-binding provision to prevent armed gender-based violence, noting the importance of maintaining the "momentum created over the last seven years" in favor of a strong and an effective Arms Trade Treaty. "We aim to provide new directions to assist in developing policy measures that counter the harmful impacts that illicit trade in small arms and light weapons have on vulnerable populations, especially on women and children" said Akreyi.
In December 2014, Akreyi joined the Everywoman Everywhere Coalition at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government's Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. This "highly diverse coalition is driven by survivors and practitioners, with more than 50 active working group members from more than 44 countries including every continent and major geographic area" and has "come together with a singular goal: Mobilization and execution of a global, grassroots-up campaign for a universal legal tool, such as a UN Convention or Additional Protocol, that empowers every woman and girl access to legal remedy should her rights to personal security be violated." In her statement released by the EEC, she had pointed out that "violence against females is a worldwide pandemic that devastates victims, threatens families, intensifies inequality, weakens societies and undermines global efforts to combat poverty through sustainable development," and she was listed as a policy advisor.