Swedish foreign minister meets rights activists in Kurdistan

Khazan Jangiz

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The foreign minister of Sweden on Tuesday met with civil activists to discuss the human rights situation in the Kurdistan Region. Among the group she met was Badal Barwari, who was recently released from jail. 

“He had one request from the minister, that the detainees who have not been put on trial and those who were sentenced be released,” his son, Ari Badal Barwari, told Rudaw English of his father’s discussion with Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde. 

Teacher and activist Badal Barwari was among dozens of people arrested in Duhok in the summer of 2020 after participating in anti-government protests over unpaid wages. He initially was facing national security charges and was in jail for over a year before he was convicted last month on charges related to unauthorized protesting. He was sentenced to one year and released the following day on time served. 

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has been sharply criticized for its prosecution of the Duhok detainees. European diplomats in June said they were concerned that “basic fair trial standards have not been respected.”

Erbil has defended the trials. “The Kurdistan Regional Government does not and will not interfere with legal processes. We call on the foreign and domestic entities to respect the court's decisions and heed the impartiality of the judicial process,” Dindar Zebari, the government’s coordinator for international advocacy, said in response to the EU statement. The KRG has also requested assistance from the UN and foreign missions to strengthen the legal system and train judges. 

According to Barwari’s son, Linde said she would take his request “into account.”

Linde described her meeting with the rights activists as “valuable.”

 


Human rights activist Halsho Abdulfatah was also in the meeting with Linde. “What was discussed was the situation of the organizations, the situation of civil society, freedom of expression, and the democratic process in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region,” he told Rudaw English.

“Generally, she talked about when she had met with officials, that they haven’t denied the poor situation, but they have said that they need cooperation on all sides for reform,” he added.

He said they asked Linde for Sweden to condition its support of the Kurdistan Region, “and the condition is the establishment of principles for human rights, rule of law and human rights. And at the same time for Sweden, as a European country, to continue helping and supporting the Kurdistan Region, to improve the situation in all sectors.”

Rudaw English reached out to the KRG and the Swedish consulate in Erbil for comment, but they were not immediately available. 

Linde began her trip to Iraq in Baghdad, meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who escaped a failed assassination attempt earlier this month, on Monday and also with President Barham Salih.

She also met with Iraqi civil society actors about democratic development and human rights.

Linde then traveled to Erbil where she has met Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani. Topics discussed included human rights, which are under scrutiny because of the recent use of force against student protesters, and waves of migration out of the Kurdistan Region.