In response to an Erbil court sentencing journalist Sherwan Sherwani to another four years and five months in prison on 19 August for an apparent threat made to a prison officer, Amnesty International’s Iraq Researcher Razaw Salihy said:
“Sherwan Sherwani is already serving an unjust prison term after being previously convicted on spurious charges. He should have long since been released. Instead, he is being handed a new years-long prison sentence weeks before his scheduled release.
“This newest case against the journalist, long feared by his lawyer and family, is a blatant ruse by the authorities to keep him behind bars. His trial was marred by a complete lack of due process, including the refusal to provide his lawyer access to evidence and case files in due time so as to prepare an adequate defense.
“The injustice Sherwani is facing is part of a broader pattern of repression documented by Amnesty International, including the authorities’ making examples of critics in the Kurdistan Region. The authorities have repeatedly demonstrated a total disregard for press freedom, using intimidation, arbitrary detention and grossly unfair trials to punish journalists, activists and other critics who report on corruption and human rights issues.
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.
Razaw Salihy, Amnesty International’s Iraq Researcher.
“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. Instead, the Kurdistan Regional authorities must uphold their national and international obligations to protect human rights.”
Background
Sherwan Sherwani is a journalist whose work, up until his arrest, focused on human rights, including freedom of expression, and corruption. He was arrested in October 2020 along with four other journalists and activists and sentenced to six years in prison in a grossly unfair trial based on vague and overbroad laws. The trial was marked by serious violations of his right to a fair trial, including allegations of torture that were not investigated and the use of torture-tainted confessions.
His sentence was later commuted, but Sherwani faced additional spurious charges designed to prevent his release; in July 2023, months before his scheduled release, he was sentenced to a further four years. Witnesses described to Amnesty International that armed men in civilian clothing intimidated Sherwan Sherwani’s family members, activists and others who had gathered outside the court after the hearing, including waving guns.
This latest case follows a pattern of authorities targeting journalists and other critics who are already imprisoned with new charges as their release dates approach.
