Amnesty denounces Iraq court over Kurdish journalist’s sentence
Members of the Peshmerga, the internal security force of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, in the capital city Erbil, 2020
Amnesty International condemned the trial and extended detention of Kurdish journalist Sherwan Sherwani, who was sentenced again on August 19th in an Erbil court, according to The New Arab on August 21st.Â
This move, the group says, is a part of a broader crackdown on critics and media repression.
Amnesty International responded to the news of the sentencing, claiming due process violations and a pattern of repression against critics in the Kurdistan region. This follows increasing insecurity in Kurdistan with drone strikes on US-linked infrastructure and internal tensions between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over regional oil revenue rights.Â
A court in Erbil, extended Sherwani’s jail sentence by four years and four months. Despite originally being due for release in September, the journalist was sentenced again on August 19th under Article 229 of Iraq’s Penal Code for purportedly humiliating a prison security officer. Lawyers and activists have denounced the move as politically-driven.
Sherwani was initially arrested in October 2020 alongside activists and teachers from Duhok. He was sentenced in February 2021 to six years on charges of espionage and putting national security at risk. In July 2023, he faced an further four-year sentence for forging fellow inmates’ signatures under Articles 295 and 298 of Iraq’s Penal Code.
His lawyer, Mohamed Abdallah, said the trial was a sham, alleging that the new sentence was based on political objectives and hostility. He said Sherwani was at the receiving end of intimidation tactics and physical abuse by KRG security forces. Abdallah confirmed he plans to appeal the ruling.
Amnesty International’s Iraq Researcher, Razaw Salihy, stated: “The latest sentencing of Sherwan Sherwani is disheartening but not shocking. This is not the first time that charges have been brought against the journalist right before his release. This method has been used against other critics before and continues to contribute to the atmosphere of fear in which journalists and activists operate.”
In a statement on the Amnesty International website on August 20th, Salihy condemned Sherwani’s imprisonment as unjust and called for his release. He said the new sentence appeared aimed at keeping him behind bars, and criticised the lack of due process, such as denying his lawyer access to evidence and sufficient time to prepare a defence. The statement concluded that the ruling is part of a systemic pattern of repression against critics, with the use of intimidation tactics, arbitrary detention and unfair trials.Â
“The Kurdistan Regional authorities must put an end to this revolving door practice, whereby previously convicted journalists, including those about to be released, are issued new convictions, keeping them behind bars,” Salihy added.
A Kurdistan opposition legislator, Ali Hama Salih, observed the trial and agreed with its critics, saying that the charge has no legal basis and cited inconsistencies such as missing surveillance camera footage.
The Zeravani is a unit within the Peshmerga that provides security for the regional government as well as industrial facilities, and supports the civilian police. It was founded in 1997 by the long-ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which is run by the Barzani family.Â
Meanwhile, Ihsan Abul Rahman, Director-General of the reform prisons overseen by the KRG Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs said he had not received official complaints against Sherwani’s alleged mistreatment in prison and would look into the allegations. He added that he removed all Zeravani forces from the reform prisons after taking office, which are now guarded by unarmed special police officers.Â
Currently, efforts to form a new government in Iraqi Kurdistan remain at a standstill, following stalled efforts by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to agree on key leadership posts after the October 20th parliamentary elections.Â
The caretaker government, headed by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (KDP) and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani (PUK), is functioning beyond parliamentary scrutiny, given that the legislature has been suspended for over 10 months. Kurdistan was also the subject of a failed lawsuit filed by the President of Iraq, Abdul Latif Rashid, against the prime minister, Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, over delayed salary payments to civil servants in the Kurdish region.
KRG security forces continue to crack down on journalists, peaceful protesters, and political opponents. This includes the sentencing of Kurdistan opposition leader Shaswar Abdulwahid, of the New Generation party.
The New Arab, Maghrebi.org
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