51st Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Layla Qassim, the “Bride of Kurdistan”

ARK News.. Monday, May 12, 2024, marks the 51st anniversary of the martyrdom of Layla Qassim, famously known as the "Bride of Kurdistan," who was executed by Iraq’s former Ba'ath regime in 1974.

A Brief Biography of Martyr Layla Qassim
Layla Qassim Hassan Malkshahi Fayli was born on December 27, 1952, in the village of Masfa near the city of Khanaqin. She completed her primary and secondary education in her hometown. Her father, Dalaho Qassim, was a humble worker at the Khanaqin refinery. After his retirement, the family moved to Baghdad, where Leyla pursued a degree in sociology at the College of Arts and worked in journalism alongside her brother Sam and her fiancé Jawad al-Hamawandi.

Layla began her political activism in the early 1970s, joining the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). She quickly became known for her courageous stance against the oppression of the Ba'athist government in Iraq. On April 29, 1974, she was arrested along with her fiancé Jawad and several comrades, including Nariman Fouad Masti, Azad Suleiman Miran, and Hama Rash (Hassan Mohammed Rashid).

During her first prison visit from her mother and sister, Leyla asked them to bring a pair of scissors and a new dress on their next visit. When they returned, she cut a lock of her hair and gifted it to her sister as a keepsake and symbol of her resistance. When asked why she wanted the new dress, she smiled and answered confidently, “Because soon, I will become the Bride of Kurdistan, and I want the earth to embrace me in full elegance.”

It is said that under torture, she cried out:
"My fate is no different from that of the loyal ones who sacrificed their pure blood to confront the injustices inflicted upon the Kurdish people by the bloody regime in Baghdad—through imprisonment, executions, displacement, and exile."

Layla, her fiancé, and their comrades were subjected to a sham trial and swiftly sentenced to death. On May 12, 1974, less than two weeks after their arrest and without due legal process, Layla was executed by hanging. Before her death, she endured brutal torture, including the gouging of her right eye and the disfigurement of her body.

The day after her execution, her body was returned to her family. She wore the traditional Kurdish dress she had requested and was buried in Wadi al-Salam Cemetery in the holy city of Najaf—far from her homeland, the place of her childhood and cherished memories.

Layla Qasim remains an enduring symbol of resistance, sacrifice, and dignity for the Kurdish people and their struggle for freedom and justice.

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