ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Duhok journalist, previously imprisoned in relation to the 2020 anti-government protests, was detained by security forces late Thursday over comments criticizing a ruling of an Erbil court which extended the imprisonment term of one of his fellow journalists. He was released hours later.
Journalist Sherwan Sherwani was given four more years in jail by an Erbil court on Thursday on the charge of faking a legal document, according to his lawyer. The new prison term was handed down just two months before he was due to be released.
Omed Baroshki was one of the journalists arrested by Duhok security forces alongside Sherwani in the summer of 2020 for anti-government protests over unpaid wages. He was handed a sentence of one year in October 2021 but was released in February 2022.
Baroshki slammed the extension of Sherwani’s term in a presser following the ruling, criticizing the authorities for ruling with a “military mindset,” and calling on the public to protest the decision.
“Unfortunately, journalist Omed Baroshki was kidnapped by the Duhok security forces,” Ayhan Saeed, representative of the Badinan detainees announced in a Facebook post, citing Baroshki’s critical comments in the press conference.
Saeed held authorities in Duhok responsible for Baroshki’s safety, saying that arrests using violence and without a court order have become a “trend” in the city.
Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), a civil society NGO that has closely followed the Duhok trials, also reported that Baroshki had been “kidnapped” by Duhok’s security forces due to his criticism of the ruling.
Duhok governor's office said in a statement late Friday that Baroshki "was arrested due to some issues related to his work," adding he was later released upon an order from Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.
The trials and prison sentences of the Duhok detainees drew outcry from diplomats, media watchdogs, and human rights groups who highlighted flaws in the legal system and accused Kurdish authorities of cracking down on dissent, charges the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has denied.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani issued a decree in February 2022 to reduce most sentences by 60 percent, apart from Sherwani, whose sentence was reduced by 50 percent. Four of the arrested sentenced journalists were released in March while Sherwani was due to be released in September.
The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development office said that the human rights situation in the Kurdistan Region "remained concerning," in its 2022 human rights report published earlier this month.
"In the KRI [Kurdistan Region of Iraq], journalists were arrested and detained without warrants, including ahead of planned protests in August. The UK pressed for media freedom and freedom of expression with governments in Iraq and the KRI," read the report.
The KRG’s Office of the Coordinator for International Advocacy (OCIA) responded to the British report, saying that “KRG authorities reiterate that arrests have only occurred with proper warrants, demonstrating their commitment to due process. Moreover, the KRG has implemented robust actions to safeguard rights for peaceful protest, while deeply respecting journalistic freedom from any infringement.”
Over 400 violations were committed against journalists and media outlets in the Kurdistan Region over the past year, the Metro Center for Journalists Rights and Advocacy said in its 2022 annual report.
Kurdish authorities repeatedly face harsh criticism for their treatment of journalists as well as imposing restrictive measures on the press.
Updated at 9:11 pm with statement from the Duhok governor's office
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