Sentence of imprisoned journalist reduced by Iraqi Kurdistan court, while security forces arrests another

An appeal court in the Iraqi Kurdistan region has reduced the four-year sentence against Kurdish imprisoned journalist Sherwan Sherwani to two years, while security forces arrested a Kurdish journalist in Duhok province on charges of having ties with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).  

In July, Erbil's third criminal court sentenced imprisoned Kurdish journalist Sherwan Amin Sherwani to an additional four years in jail on charges of alleged forgery.

Sherwani, a critic of the ruling clans in the semi-autonomous region of northern Iraq, was sentenced in February 2021 to six years behind bars allegedly for "endangering national security."

"After we taunted the sentence, the court has decided to reduce it to two years behind bars, but we think this is also an unfair decision; we hoped the court would cancel the four-year sentence against Sherwani and friends because the charges they faced are baseless," Mohammed Abdullah, a defence lawyer of Sherwani told The New Arab in a phone call from Erbil. 

🔻 After appeal, the sentence of journalist Sherwan Sherwani was reduced from four years to two years.
"He was sentenced to two more years in prison"@DrawMediaNet
According to Bashdar Hassan, the lawyer of the detainees in Badinan, “After sentencing journalist Sherwan Sherwani… pic.twitter.com/VLKlt14LWQ

— Draw English (@DrawMediaNet) October 30, 2023

Abdullah stressed defence lawyers have left one last option, which is filing another review of the court's decision at a higher judiciary body at the Kurdistan region's appellate court. 

Sherwani's charge was based on him allegedly signing a document on behalf of four imprisoned colleagues.

Kurdish authorities sentenced hundreds of journalists, teachers, and civil activists from Erbil and Duhok provinces in the wake of wide anti-government protests during the last three years.

Prisoners from Badinan, including journalists Sherwan Amin Sherwani and Guhdar Zebari and activists Shvan Saeed, Ayaz Karam, and Hariwan Issa, all have been sentenced to six years imprisonment in February 2021.

The Kurdistan region's judiciary is not independent. It is subordinate to two main ruling parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

Masrour Barzani, the caretaker prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), has accused the journalists of being "spies" before the court sentences against them. 

Sherwani, while spending his term at Erbil's Adult Reform Prison, has drawn a caricature of PM Barzani, highlighting his cabinet's failures. The caricature has been published online by Kurdish social media users. 

Abdullah said although the caricature is not news, judges have told him personally that if the caricature goes viral on social media platforms, Sherwani may face new charges of defaming Barzani.   

Sherwani was due to be released in September after his six-year term was reduced by 50 per cent per a decree by the Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in February 2022.

On the other hand, KRG security forces have arrested Suleiman Ahmed, an editor at the Arabic version of Roj News agency, an outlet seen as close to the PKK.  

The agency accused the KDP forces of "kidnapping" him at the Fish Khabur crossing after he visited his family in Syria's Aleppo on 1 October. 

Later, security forces in Dohuk issued a statement and claimed the journalist was arrested allegedly due to having relations with the PKK, which is considered a "terrorist" organization by Turkey and the West. 

"We strongly reject and condemn the baseless accusations made by the security forces in Dohuk, affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party. We demand the disclosure of Suleiman Ahmed's fate and his immediate release," Roj News agency said in a statement on 1 November. "The Kurdistan Democratic Party is responsible for the safety and life of our agency's editor, Suleiman Ahmed," it added. 

The KDP and the PKK are arch-rivals of each other, while the KDP accuses the PKK of destabilizing the region by launching its territories to attack Turkey. The PKK also accuses the KDP of "treason" and collaboration with Turkey in pursuing their guerrillas and activists.   

 Rahman Gharib, the head of Metro Center for Journalists' Rights and Advocacy, told TNA that they are refusing any arrests of journalists and activists in the Kurdistan region due to political opinions and hoped the Kurdish authorities would free both journalist Ahmed and Sherwani. 

"Journalists who are seen as close to the PKK are not allowed to work in Erbil and Duhok, while Roj News has an office in Sulaimaniyah. We live in one region, so why this discrimination?" Gharib said, "The issue with Ahmed is a mixture of journalism and politics; in either case, we refuse his arrest because nobody should be arrested on political views."