Zhiar Ali Net Worth

Background and career

Zhiar Ali (Kurdish: Jiyar Elî; Sorani alphabet: ژیار عەلی, Kurdish pronunciation: [ʒiːɑːɾ], born September 2, 1999) is a former animal rights activist and a Kurdish advocate for LGBT rights. He presently resides in the Netherlands after having been based in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. In Iraqi Kurdistan, Ali is known for his contributions to LGBT rights, including founding Yeksani, a group that works to promote LGBT rights in the Kurdistan Region, of which he is executive director. He was previously a founding member of Kurdistan Vegans, Iraq's first pro-vegan animal rights group, and has worked as a freelance journalist.

Ali has been outspoken in his criticism of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for failing to appropriately address abuses of the LGBT population in the Kurdistan region, and has reported receiving threats over his activism. He came to wider attention in 2021 for his campaigning during the arrests of people suspected of being gay by security forces in Sulaymaniyah, and following the murder of Doski Azad in 2022. Since 2022, he has also released music as an independent singer-songwriter.