Female Duhok detainee to be released in April

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Female protestor Berivan Ayoub Hassan on Sunday was sentenced to two years in prison, but will be released next month as she has served most of her sentence already. 

Ayoub was arrested in October 2020 after participating in a demonstration in April of that year as she protested against corruption and unpaid wages in Duhok. 

The Iraqi Kurdistan Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT), a violence-reduction and human rights organization that has been monitoring the arrests, said on Sunday that Berivan will be released in April as her two-year sentence includes the time she has already served.

Ayoub was accused of being a part of a group of nine people “to attack two Turkish companies and targeting several Turkish diplomats,” CPT’s Kamaran Osman wrote on Facebook on Sunday.

She was also accused of being the leader of a political party in the Region, he added noting that Ayoub has denied the accusations and there was not enough evidence to support the allegations. 

The 35-year-old mother of five has been held without charges for over 16 months.

Ayoub appeared in court twice last month, but her trial was adjourned both times. 

The demonstrations in Duhok saw the arrest of around 300 other protestors.

A presidential decree issued late February reduced the sentence of a group of five Duhok detainees by 60 percent. 

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), at the time, came under fire for the prosecution of the Duhok detainees. Erbil has defended the trials, stating that the courts are independent and has requested assistance from the UN and foreign missions to strengthen the legal system and train judges.

"The Kurdistan Regional Government is fully committed to the rule of law, to a fair and impartial legal process, and to the freedom of the media," read a statement from KRG coordinator for international advocacy, Dindar Zebari in May.

Updated at 5:14 pm