Families protest at Erbil court where Duhok trial postponed again

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Family members and supporters of the Duhok detainees protested outside of an Erbil courthouse on Monday where the trial of four people was postponed for a second time. They demanded Kurdish leaders come down to the court and witness what is happening.

Masoud Ali Haji, Sherwan Taha Amin, Karger Abbas Ali and Bandawar Ayub were among dozens of people arrested during anti-government protests over unpaid wages in Duhok last year. They are accused of forming a group to support Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and establishing a political party with Iraqi President Barham Salih to “undermine” the stability of the Kurdistan Region.

Their first hearing in July was attended by a United Nations representative and diplomats. A second hearing in September was postponed because of changes to members of the court.

“They’ve been postponing the trial for 14 months. I don’t know why,” Tangazar Ayub, brother of Bandawar Ayub, said in front of the courthouse. “We want members of parliament, the head of the Judicial Council, and the president of the Kurdistan Region to come and help us. It cuts to the bone, it has been so long.”

The Kurdistan Region has come under fire for the prosecution of activists and journalists arrested in Duhok. The first group to be put on trial - Sherwan Sherwani, Shvan Saeed, Ayaz Karam, Hariwan Issa, and Guhdar Zebari - were found guilty of endangering national security. Among the accusations against them was taking funds from foreign diplomatic missions, an allegation that drew criticism from Germany and the United States.

After an appeal court upheld their conviction, the United Nations mission in Iraq and diplomats issued a joint statement saying the decision “regrettably confirms the urgent need for judicial and institutional reform in the KRI [Kurdistan Region of Iraq] to prevent such miscarriages of justice in the future.”

In response, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) stated that the courts are independent and operate without political interference. “We call on the foreign and domestic entities to respect the court's decisions and heed the impartiality of the judicial process,” read a July statement from Dindar Zebari, the KRG’s coordinator for international advocacy.

Zebari noted that the KRG has requested help from the UN and international allies to strengthen the legal system and train judges.

Two other trials have also been postponed. Amer Khalid Agid, Frsat Ahmad, Jamal Khalil, Suleiman Kamal, and Suleiman Mousa are due to appear in court on October 6. Teacher and activist Badal Barwari and journalist Omed Baroshki will return to court on October 12.

Members of their families were among the protesters in Erbil on Monday.

Amed Suleiman, the son of Suleiman Kamal, also called on Kurdish leaders to come down to the courthouse. “They should see the reality with their eyes,” he said and vowed to continue his protest in front of the courthouse until the cases are concluded.

Another relative, Shivan Hassan, said they will carry their protest into the October 10 parliamentary election. “They hurt us today, but we’ll hurt them at the ballot boxes tomorrow. We’ll hurt them all if God wills it,” he said.

Protests were also staged in Sulaimani and Duhok.

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