Kurdistan
Sulaiman Ahmed (middle) and his lawyer Bashdar Hassan (left) on Kurdistan Region-Rojava border on January 20, 2025. Photo: Bashdar Hassan/submitted
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdish journalist returned to northeast Syria (Rojava) on Monday after being jailed by the Kurdistan Region authorities for around 15 months, his lawyer said.
Sulaiman Ahmed worked as a journalist for Rojnews, affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). He was arrested in October 2023 by Duhok security forces and sentenced to three years in prison for what they said was his involvement in “secret and illegal activities for the PKK.”
Earlier this month, the Kurdistan Region’s Cassation Court dropped all charges against him and ordered his “immediate release.”
Bashdar Hassan, head of Ahmed’s legal team, told Rudaw on Monday that the journalist was released from jail earlier in the day.
“He voluntarily returned to Rojava and had requested to see his mother first after his release. Therefore, we took him to the border,” added the lawyer.
Ahmed, who was the Arabic section editor for Rojnews, was arrested on October 25, 2023, while entering the Kurdistan Region from Syria, where he had been visiting family.
At the time of his arrest, Rojnews said that he was detained for his alleged membership in northeast Syria’s (Rojava) ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD).
Sulaiman Ahmed worked as a journalist for Rojnews, affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). He was arrested in October 2023 by Duhok security forces and sentenced to three years in prison for what they said was his involvement in “secret and illegal activities for the PKK.”
Earlier this month, the Kurdistan Region’s Cassation Court dropped all charges against him and ordered his “immediate release.”
Bashdar Hassan, head of Ahmed’s legal team, told Rudaw on Monday that the journalist was released from jail earlier in the day.
“He voluntarily returned to Rojava and had requested to see his mother first after his release. Therefore, we took him to the border,” added the lawyer.
Ahmed, who was the Arabic section editor for Rojnews, was arrested on October 25, 2023, while entering the Kurdistan Region from Syria, where he had been visiting family.
At the time of his arrest, Rojnews said that he was detained for his alleged membership in northeast Syria’s (Rojava) ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD).
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment