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.
Lecture and discussion with Amineh Kakabaveh
Beginning: 6.00 pm
End: 8.00 pm
An Event of the Fritz Bauer Forum
in cooperation with Rojava-Solidarität Bochum
You will be welcomed and joined in the discussion by
AGIR MUSTAFA BIRHÎMEOĞLU
Rojava Solidarität Bochum
AMINEH KAKABAVEH
Human Rights Activist
Translated from Kurdish (Soranî) by Amir Mahmoudi and Mohamad Shoan Vaisi
Excerpts from the book Amineh – No bigger than a Kalashnikov – A Peshmerga in Parliament will be read by
BARBARA DAHLHAUS and MAGDALENA KÖHLER
After the great interest shown during her first visit, Amineh Kakabaveh is coming to Bochum again. She is a Swedish Kurd with roots in Iran, where she fought as a socialist for the rights of women and minorities. In Iran, too, about twelve million Kurds are exposed to oppression by the Islamic regime.
Amineh’s international struggle for fundamental rights continued over fourteen years in the Swedish Parliament. Through her vote, Madgalena Andersson was elected Prime Minister of Sweden in 2021. In the middle of this year, her vote was again decisive after a motion of no confidence against the incumbent government.
Powerful campaigner for the rights of Kurds in Sweden
On her second visit to Bochum, Amineh Kakabaveh will talk more about her life as a peshmerga. And it will be about what plans she has now, after she did not run again in the parliamentary elections in Sweden on September 11, 2022.
She will also give an assessment of the current situation in Sweden, where Turkish President Erdoğan has made his approval of the country’s application to join NATO conditional on the Swedish government extraditing to Turkey Kurdish women who have found protection from political persecution there. These are specifically threatened with extradition to the persecuting state. How does Sweden deal with this blackmailing demand? What is the societal climate in this conflict and is there solidarity with the threatened Kurdish women?
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
