On Tuesday, senior Kurdish leaders commemorated the heroism of Leyla Qasim, a Kurdish student activist who was executed by the Iraqi Ba’ath regime in 1974 because of her political activism. 

On May 12, 1974, five political activists—Leyla Qasim, Azad Sleman Miran, Hassan Hama Rashid, Jawad Hamawandi, and Nariman Fuad Masti—were executed by the Ba’ath regime.

On her way to the gallows, Qasim is said to have sung Ey Reqib, the Kurdish national anthem, and to have declared: “Kill me! But you must also know that after my death thousands 

of Kurds will wake up.  I feel proud to sacrifice my life for the freedom of Kurdistan.”

“On the 52nd anniversary of the execution and martyrdom of Layla Qasim and her companions, we send our salutations to their pure souls and to the souls of all martyrs of the path of freedom,” President Masoud Barzani posted on X.

“Martyr Leyla Qasim and her companions courageously sacrificed their lives for the freedom and dignity of their people, becoming an example and symbol of resistance for all freedom-seekers in Kurdistan.”

In a statement, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani underlined that Leyla Qasim is not only a national symbol, “but also a beacon of awareness and leadership for the women of Kurdistan in their struggle and sacrifice.

“Through her extraordinary resilience in prison and in the face of execution, she proved that Kurdish women possess unwavering determination and are ready to sacrifice their lives for the freedom and dignity of their people.

“The struggle of Leyla Qasim, who became an example of glory and self-confidence for all the generations after her, from the city of Khanaqin to the University of Baghdad and until the last moments of her life in the prisons of the Ba’ath regime, will remain alive forever in the conscience of the Kurds and the people of Kurdistan as a lesson of self-sacrifice, steadfastness, and patriotism.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​”

Khanzad Ahmad, Secretary General of the Kurdistan Regional Government High Council of Women’s Affairs underlined in a post on X that Leyla Qasim was a symbol of Kurdish courage, dignity, and resistance against tyranny.

“The Iraqi Ba’ath regime executed her, but could never silence her message of freedom. Her name lives forever in the heart of Kurdistan.”