In the fall of 2021, the fate of the Swedish government rested on her shoulders. Now Amineh Kakabaveh’s struggle is more topical than ever. She does not want to sacrifice the human rights of the approximately 12 million Kurds in Iran to Sweden’s accession to NATO. Turkish President Erdoğan is threatening to block Sweden’s accession to NATO and at the same time criticizing Sweden’s acceptance of Kurdish refugees. This sounds like blackmail.
Lecture and discussion with Amineh Kakabaveh
Location: Q1 – Eins im Quartier – Haus für Kultur, Religion und Soziales, Halbachstraße 1, 44793 Bochum, Germany
Admission: 6.30 p.m.
Beginning: 7.00 p.m.
End: 8.30 p.m.
(Please note that masks are compulsory)
An Event of the Fritz Bauer Forum
in cooperation with the Friedensplenum Bochum, the DFG-VK, Rojava-Solidarität Bochum and medica mondiale e.V.
You will be welcomed and joined in the discussion by
For two weeks back in July 2021, the fate of the Swedish government rested on the shoulders of one of the country’s most outspoken and independent members of parliament. Amineh Kakabaveh, a former Kurdish peshmerga (guerrilla fighter) with roots in Iran, has a dramatic and impressive life. A strong-willed and combative woman and a socialist, she has spent her entire life fighting for freedom and justice, especially for the rights of women in traditional cultures and against honor crimes and religious fundamentalism. It was through Amineh Kakabaveh’s vote that Madgalena Andersson was elected Prime Minister of Sweden in 2021.
Today, her struggle is more relevant than ever. Again, her vote is crucial because she does not want to sacrifice the human rights of the approximately 40 million Kurds (12 million in Iran, who are subject of repression on the part of the Islamist regime) to Sweden joining NATO.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is threatening to block Sweden’s planned accession to NATO in the wake of Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine, while at the same time criticizing Sweden’s acceptance of Kurdish refugees. This sounds like blackmail. The Turkish president said on May 13, 2022, that Sweden (and Finland, which also wants to join NATO) are “terrorist” because they support the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Amineh Kakabaveh’s moving autobiography, co-authored by Johan Ohlson, describes her extraordinary journey and has just been published in BUXUS EDITION’s “Fritz Bauer Library.” Since 2005, she has been president of Ni Putes Ni Soumises (“neither whore nor submissive”), a non-profit organization that fights against the patriarchal oppression of women in the poor suburbs of Sweden. She fights against honor crimes. In 2016, she was named “Swedish Woman of the Year.”
Praise for
You’re No Bigger Than a Kalashnikov
“Reading her thrilling and important book, I was taken by Amineh’s dramatic journey to freedom and her bravery, but I was also overwhelmed by sadness. Iran with its wonderful people and its rich culture could have been part of the community of secular, liberal democracies in the world if it hadn’t been for the shortsightedness of the Shah and his American pals. What a loss that is.”
⏤ Artist Björn Ulvaeus ABBA
“You’re No Bigger Than a Kalashnikov is a fantastic story. Kakabaveh’s unique biography is not just about dedication and experiences far beyond everyday Swedish life, but also about a political attitude. Her perspective is not taken from the distinctive identity as an immigrant Kurdish woman but from the uni-versal values that unite us all as human beings.”
⏤ Ann Charlott Alstadt Aftonbladet
“A riveting and candidly written tale of resilience against all odds. This book is a captivating tour de force showing readers the resourcefulness of Kurd-ish women and their struggle for equality. Amineh’s narration of a childhood marked by poverty, war, revolution, and exile depicts the upheavals befalling millions of Kurds.”
⏤ Mashi Alinejad Iranian journalist and women rights activist
