Families of journalists and activists arrested last year react following the verdict in front of the Erbil Appellate Court building on February 16, 2021 (NRT Digital Media/Winthrop Rodgers)
2021-06-28
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SULAIMANI — International criticism built on Monday (June 28) about the bombshell decision by the Kurdistan Region’s Court of Appeals to uphold the controversial convictions of five journalists and activists from Duhok, with the United Nations and the Region’s international partners releasing statements condemning the move.
The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) tweeted on Monday that the decision “regrettably confirms the urgent need for judicial and institutional reform in the KRI to prevent such miscarriages of justice in future.”
On Sunday, the court upheld six year prisons sentences handed down against journalists Sherwan Sherwani, Guhdar Zebari, and Ayaz Karam and activists Shvan Saeed Omar and Hariwan Issa during a nine-hour trial in February in which they were accused of seeking to undermine the security and stability of the state. An initial appeal was denied in May.
It was their final opportunity to appeal their case.
All five defendants strongly deny the charges against them, alleging that statements later used against them by the court were obtained through coercion and threats against their families or simply fabricated by secret and unnamed witnesses cited by the Kurdistan Region's Security Council.
The prosecution is widely viewed as politically motivated, with their arrests coming in the context of an extended crackdown on journalists and activists by the security forces in Duhok and Erbil governorates, which are affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also made prejudicial and unproven allegations about the defendants made just days ahead of the trial, constituting a serious violation of the rule of law.
In May, UNAMI published a lengthy and detailed report about the marked deterioration of freedom of expression in the Kurdistan Region over the past year, pointing to a significant number of specific incidents where journalists were arbitrarily arrested, assaulted, served with harassing lawsuits, or otherwise had their rights violated by the KRG, the security forces, and the judiciary.
European Union Ambassador to Iraq Martin Huth tweeted on Sunday night that he was “appalled” by the decision to uphold their convictions, “despite serious procedural flaws and allegations of mistreatment identified by the UN.”
Canadian Ambassador to Iraq Ulric Shannon called the decision “a disappointing step backward in the Kurdistan Region,” while Canada’s Head of Office in Erbil Ashley Durec said that “the unhindered work of journalists is key to an open and informed society.”
On Tuesday, NRT reached out to the UK and US consulates for comment. Both said that their position supporting freedom of the press and expression in the Kurdistan Region remained unchanged from earlier in the spring.
A representative of the UK Consulate General cited a statement from May 11 “setting out concern regarding the allegations relating to the detention and trial process.”
“The UK is a firm advocate for media freedom, as the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab made clear during remarks alongside President Nechirvan Barzani, when he visited Erbil earlier this month. We will continue to work with the Kurdistan Regional Government on this issue,” they added.
The US Consulate General said it would not be commenting on the latest development and referred NRT back to its previous statements in May and February, when it said in a tweet that “democratic societies respect freedom of expression and support the ability of press members to report without fear of retaliation.”
(NRT Digital Media)
This story was updated on June 29, 2021 at 5:35 p.m. EBL