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On July 29, 2024, a local court in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq delivered a controversial ruling, sentencing journalist Suleiman Ahmed of "Roj News" to three years behind bars.
This decision comes over 270 days after his arrest, which many observers criticize as a blatant violation of fair trial standards.
Suleiman Ahmed was apprehended on October 25, 2023, by forces linked to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) upon his return from a family visit to Syria's Aleppo region. Authorities accused him of "threatening national security," alleging ties to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), a political entity that opposes the ruling KDP.
During the trial, Ahmed vehemently denied these accusations, which his colleagues argue were only disclosed to him during court proceedings. Reports from Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) highlight the numerous legal irregularities surrounding his detention. Ahmed was said to face enforced disappearance and mistreatment for weeks, lacking access to the charges against him. Moreover, key statements used in court were presented in a language he did not understand, and his defense team was denied adequate contact with him.
WJWC condemned the court's decision as sending a "chilling message" to journalists throughout the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. They emphasize that Ahmed was prosecuted not under the Iraqi Press Law of 2007, but under a local law enacted by the Kurdistan Parliament in 2003, raising further concerns about the legal framework used against him.
In light of these developments, WJWC demands Ahmed's immediate and unconditional release, calling for an end to the systemic violations faced by journalists in the region. They urge Kurdish authorities to cease the prosecution of journalists on charges tied to their reporting and to refrain from using the judiciary as a mechanism for political retribution.
