Sherwani was one of a group of journalists and activists arrested by Duhok security forces in recent years in connection with protests. In February 2021, he and four others were put on trial for “endangering the national security of the Kurdistan Region.” They were found guilty and sentenced to six years in jail.
Ramazan Artisi, Sherwani’s lawyer, told reporters in Erbil on Thursday that the new prison sentence is related to a document withdrawing a request to court for the conditional release of four of the Duhok detainees. Sherwani signed it on behalf of one his colleagues, Guhdar Zebari, who was being held in solitary confinement and could not sign it himself.
“Today, the court sentenced Sherwani to four years in jail over the issue,” said the lawyer, noting that he was accused of faking the document even though the four people named on the document - Shvan Saeed, Ayaz Karam, Hariwan Issa, and Guhdar Zebari - told the judge that they had allowed Sherwani to sign on behalf of Zebari.
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 of the sentences by 60 percent, apart from Sherwani, whose sentence was reduced by 50 percent. Saeed, Karam and Issa were released in March. Sherwani was due to be released in September.
Sherwani’s lawyer said the new court ruling is “illegal” and he plans to file an appeal.
Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), a civil society NGO that has closely followed the Duhok trials, in reaction to Sherwani’s new prison sentence on Thursday said it is “exceptionally concerned by political interference in the KRG judiciary system.”
“This system, which attempts to convey an illusion of fair and impartial justice, has routinely been complicit in the KRG’s political-based punishment of journalists and activists. CPT-IK calls upon the KRG’s ruling bodies to cease interference in the judiciary system and practice their claims of freedom of the press and expression in the region,” it added.
The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development released its human rights report for the year 2022 earlier this month. In it, it said the human rights situation in the Kurdistan Region "remained concerning."
"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.”
