PUBLIC RELATIONS, ADVOCACY AND EVENTS

Since the genocide of the Yazidis in 2014, HÁWAR.help has been campaigning for the rights of people who are persecuted, discriminated against or marginalized and whose voices too often remain unheard.

Our advocacy work is aimed at decision-makers and thought leaders in politics, business and academia, as well as broad sections of European and international society. We organize events, film screenings, exhibitions and panels, both on national and international stages, such as the Berlinale, the German Bundestag or at the United Nations. As part of this work, we launch campaigns and advise politicians and decision-makers on human rights issues.

We understand the power of communication and visibility, and we work on the issues we publicly advocate for in a media-effective way.

HIGHLIGHTS 2023 INTERNATIONAL

• Recognition of the crimes of the so-called “Islamic State” against the Yazidis in 2014 as genocide by the German Bundestag on January 19, 2023, through the significant participation of HÁWAR.help and other organizations
• Participation of HÁWAR.help founder Düzen Tekkal in the Iraq delegation trip of Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock; including a visit to Sinjar, the home region of the Yazidis, and our HÁWAR.help projects in Iraq
• Presentation of seven demands to the German government at an event with Yazidi ISIS survivors, Farida Global Organization and Max Lucks, Member of the German Bundestag, to mark the ninth anniversary of the genocide
• Screening of the documentary JIYAN – The Forgotten Victims of ISIS by HÁWAR.help founder Düzen Tekkal, followed by a panel discussion at Harvard Kennedy University, United States
• Joint event with the CFFP – Center for Feminist Foreign Policy at the UN General Assembly in New York on Women’s Resilience in Shaping Feminist Foreign Policy
• High-profile campaign and open letter to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser: We demand a stop to deportations and permanent protection status for Yazidis

HIGHLIGHTS 2023 ON THE IRAN REVOLUTION

• Organization of several screenings of the film White Torture by Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, followed by panel discussions, including at the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin
• Participation of HÁWAR.help founder Düzen Tekkal and co-initiator of the sponsorship program Mariam Claren at the award ceremony of the Nobel Peace Prize to Narges Mohammadi in Oslo
• Art exhibition in The Hague with letters and illustrations by women politically imprisoned in Iran, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi and human rights activist Nahid Taghavi
• Panel by HÁWAR.help x Berlinale x HAU Hebbel am Ufer with Iranian, Kurdish and Afghan filmmakers and political decision-makers on the topic: Is there a Jin-Jiyan-Azadî effect in the art of film?
• Illumination of the Zoo Palast Berlin on the occasion of the Berlinale opening with the message Jin, Jiyan, Azadî – Zan, Zendegi, Azadi – Woman, Life, Freedom
• Red Carpet solidarity campaign for the freedom movement in Iran with Hollywood actresses Kristen Stewart, Golshifteh Farahani and other filmmakers during the Berlinale
• Germany-wide campaign on advertising spaces and on social media as a sign of solidarity with the courageous women in Iran and worldwide on International Women’s Day, together with seiSTARK e.V.
• Press conference and meetings with German politicians with Gazelle Sharmahd, daughter of Jamshid Sharmahd, a German citizen sentenced to death in Iran
• Joint conference with the Green Club in the Austrian Parliament: Where does Iran stand one year after the start of the feminist revolution?