ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Guhdar Zebari, one of the journalists arrested during 2020 anti-government protests in Duhok, was released on Saturday after serving over three years in prison, according to one of his lawyers.
Zebari was arrested alongside a group of other journalists and activists in October 2020 for his involvement in protests over unpaid wages by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). They were called the Badinan detainees because they come from Badini areas in Duhok province. He and four others were sentenced to six years in prison in February 2021 on charges of “endangering national security.”
Zebari’s sentence was reduced by 60 percent in February 2022 by a decree from Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and he was due to be released in March 2023, but he was handed seven additional months for allegedly changing the logo on a car he had purchased.
His imprisonment was extended by six more months in October after he was charged with the illegal possession of a shotgun.
Bashdar Hassan, a lawyer in the case, told Rudaw’s Soran Hussein that Zebari was released on Saturday afternoon.
The trials and prison sentences of the Badinan prisoners 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 KRG has denied.
Three of the journalists initially sentenced to six years were released in March 2023. Sherwan Sherwani remains the last member of the group still behind bars.
Sherwani was to be released in September, but was given four more years in prison by an Erbil court in July on the charge of faking a legal document.
Kurdish authorities repeatedly face harsh criticism for their treatment of journalists as well as imposing restrictive measures on the press. Human Rights Watch said in its annual report in January that “vaguely worded laws” have been used to suppress journalists, activists, and political rivals.
The US Consulate in Erbil earlier this month said Washington is concerned about the “recent backsliding” of press freedom in the Kurdistan Region. The KRG quickly denied the accusation, claiming that the diplomatic mission had in fact voiced its appreciation about a “decline” in violations against journalists.
A total of 249 violations were committed against journalists and media outlets in 2023, according to figures from Metro Center for Journalists Right and Advocacy, a significant drop compared to the 431 violations recorded the year before.
