Judge Denies Request for Conditional Release of Badinan Journalist Sherwan Sherwani

Peregraf

A court in Erbil has denied the request made by journalist Sherwan Sherwani's attorney for his conditional release, thereby extending his imprisonment until September, as confirmed by his lawyer.

Sherwani has been incarcerated for nearly five years, having been arrested on October 10, 2020, by security forces linked to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) at his residence in Erbil. His arrest was part of a wider crackdown that resulted in the detention of numerous journalists and activists in Erbil and the Badinan region.

Following his arrest, Sherwani, along with several other journalists and activists, faced charges under Article 1 of Law No. 21 of 2003 for allegedly compromising the security of Kurdistan. Their trial, which included fellow journalists and activists Shvan Saeed, Ayaz Karam, Hariwan Isa, and Guhdar Zebari, occurred on February 15 and 16, 2021. On the second day of the proceedings, the Erbil Second Criminal Court sentenced all five defendants to six years in prison. Despite two appeals, the Supreme Court of Appeal upheld the original verdict.

Subsequently, the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, granted a 50% reduction of Sherwani's sentence. However, before he could serve the remainder of his reduced term, two new cases were brought against him, resulting in an additional four-year sentence for allegedly forging the signature of another journalist while incarcerated.

Sherwani, along with four other convicted journalists and activists from Badinan, initially filed a petition for conditional release but later requested to withdraw it from the Erbil Correctional Facility. He was then accused of fraudulently signing a second petition on behalf of Guhdar Zebari, which led to further legal repercussions.

On July 20, 2023, the Erbil court imposed an additional sentence of two years and six months under Article 295, along with one year and six months under Article 289 of the Iraqi Penal Code.

His legal representatives, together with several organizations advocating for journalists' rights, have denounced the decisions, labeling them as politically driven and swayed by outside influences on the judiciary. Sherwani's first arrest in October 2020 occurred simultaneously with demonstrations by educators and civil rights advocates opposing the imprisonment of journalists in Duhok province. A report from Peregraf indicates that around 100 journalists were detained in the Badinan area within just one week in August 2020.