Peregraf
A court in Duhok has sentenced journalist Omed Baroshki to six months in prison on defamation charges following a complaint filed by the Duhok Correctional Prison.
The case originates from a press release Baroshki posted on his Facebook account on January 23, 2024, in which he stated: "According to information, Badinan prisoner Mullah Nazir was kidnapped by a security force and is no longer in Duhok Correctional Prison."
Baroshki, who has denied the defamation charge, previously told Peregraf that his statement was based on factual information. This is the ninth case filed against him. In the previous eight cases, he was sentenced to a total of one year and seven months in prison and fined 250,000 Iraqi dinars.
Although his statement was journalistic in nature, the complaint was filed under Article 2 of the Misuse of Communication Devices Law, rather than the Journalism Law. As a result, he was sentenced under this law instead of legal protections typically granted to journalists.
Omed Baroshki was among the journalists arrested in 2020 during a large-scale security operation. During that time, dozens of activists and journalists in Badinan faced charges related to unauthorized demonstrations, disrupting public security, and alleged ties to the PKK.