ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) expressed concern on Thursday over the extension of Kurdish journalist Sherwan Sherwani’s prison sentence to four and a half years by an Erbil court, just weeks before his scheduled release. In a statement on X, UNAMI condemned Sherwani’s conviction by the Bnaslawa Misdemeanour Court in Erbil on Tuesday “on a charge he denies,” adding that the ruling “may be disproportionate and its application arbitrary.” The mission noted that the court “did not provide convincing reasoning as to what ‘aggravating circumstances’ were taken into account” and urged Kurdish authorities to “uphold the rule of law and human rights” and to ensure “all criminal proceedings are transparent and fair in accordance with national and international standards.” Having attended Tuesday’s hearing, UNAMI affirmed it will “continue to follow the case.” Sherwani was sentenced on Tuesday to an additional four and a half years in prison for allegedly threatening an officer, his lawyer said, adding that he will appeal the decision. The sentence falls under Article 229 of the Iraqi Penal Code, which addresses insulting a public servant or body during official duties. Amnesty International on Tuesday sharply condemned the new verdict against Sherwani, with its Iraq Researcher Razaw Salihy stating that it is "a blatant ruse by the authorities to keep him behind bars." Salihy called the trial "marred by a complete lack of due process," citing the denial of access to evidence for his defense lawyer. Salihy also noted that previous sentences against Sherwani have been repeatedly extended with new charges, a pattern Amnesty calls a "revolving door practice" used to repress critics. He thus urged Kurdish authorities to "put an end to this" and uphold human rights obligations. Ali Hama Saleh, leader of the opposition National Stance Movement (Halwest), also remarked on Tuesday, "The charge is that Sherwan Sherwani allegedly threatened an officer in prison. The prison is full of cameras, and if this is true, let them release one video clip proving Sherwan made threats or fought.” The Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), a US-based human rights organization monitoring the Badinan cases, reported that their representative attended the trial. CPT stated, “The complainant claimed to have two witnesses who were allegedly present when Sherwan made the threat. Sherwan denied the accusations and requested video evidence. However, the court was told the surveillance cameras did not record on that day, and no video was presented.” The Sulaimani-based Metro Center for Journalists Rights and Advocacy also called for the ruling to be overturned, stating: “From the beginning of Sherwan Sherwani’s trial, conditions for a fair trial were not met, and the process was not free from political interference. The aim is to silence dissenting voices. We call on the appeals court to overturn the decision.” Sherwani was first arrested in October 2020 alongside other journalists and activists involved in protests over unpaid wages by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Known as the Badinan detainees - named after the Badinan area in Duhok province - he and four others were sentenced to six years in February 2021 on charges of “endangering national security.” In February 2022, his sentence was halved by a decree from Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani. However, in July 2023, an Erbil court sentenced him to four additional years on charges of forging a legal document. In March, a judge denied his conditional release and extended his imprisonment by six months, just two months before his scheduled release. The trials and sentences of the Badinan detainees have long drawn criticism from diplomats, media watchdogs, and human rights groups, who cite legal flaws and accuse Kurdish authorities of suppressing dissent - claims the KRG denies.
