ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The United States consulate general in Erbil said it expects the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to “respect the work” of its diplomatic staff after an appeal court upheld controversial sentences of five Duhok journalists and activists partly on accusations of meeting with and receiving funds from American and German consular officials.
“We expect host governments all around the world to respect the work of U.S. diplomats, who – much like journalists – meet with a variety of people in order to do their jobs. We extend this same courtesy to foreign diplomats working in the United States, including representatives of the KRG,” a spokesperson for the US Consulate General in Erbil told Rudaw English by email.
In February, five journalists and activists – Sherwan Sherwani, Shvan Saeed, Ayaz Karam, Hariwan Issa, and Guhdar Zebari – were put on trial for “endangering the national security of the Kurdistan Region.” They were found guilty and sentenced to six years in jail.
An appeal court has now upheld the lower court’s ruling, saying the men had intended to “target sensitive areas and establishments in the Kurdistan Region.”
“They had also contacted the American consulate and German consulate and took money from them. They also contacted the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party],” stated the appeal court’s ruling, dated April 28.
The men were arrested in Duhok last year during anti-government protests over unpaid wages.
In March, the Kurdistan Region Security Council released purported confessions from the men, claiming they had “direct” links to the PKK.
Prior to their sentencing, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani claimed the men were “spies” and were plotting terror attacks against foreign missions.
The US consulate declined to comment on the case, but said it has “supported freedom of expression and media since our founding. It is part of our identity and we continue to promote it as one of our core values. We will also continue to emphasize the importance of due process and the rule of law, including access to legal counsel.”
The case drew international condemnation from press freedom and human rights monitors.
The Committee to Protect Journalists urged Kurdish authorities to immediately release the two journalists, Sherwan Sherwani and Guhdar Zebari, dropping all charges against them. The appeal court's decision shows the KRG's "purported commitment to press freedom is nothing but empty words," said Ignacio Miguel Delgado, the CPJ's representative in the Middle East and North Africa.
Belkis Wille, senior crisis and conflict researcher at Human Rights Watch, said she was concerned about political bias in the case and appeal court judges making a choice to “close their eyes” to violations of fair trial standards.
Rudaw English also reached out to the German consulate for comment and has not received a reply at time of publication.
Updated at 8:40 pm
