PM:06:00:09/09/2021
4560 View
+
-
SULAIMANI — Two journalists and two activists who were
controversially sentenced to six years in prison during a February trial that
raised concerns about the Kurdistan Region’s commitment to human rights and the
rule of law were transferred from a facility run by the Asayish to Erbil Reform
Prison on Thursday (September 9), defense lawyer Harem Rafat told NRT.
As a result, family visits can be arranged according to the
procedures of the Ministry of Labour Social Affairs, Rafat said.
The four who were transferred were Sherwan Sherwani, Ayaz
Karam, Shvan Saeed, and Hariwan Issa.
Another journalist who was sentenced along with the four,
Guhdar Zebari, remains in the custody of the Asayish.
Karam told NRT in a phone call that before their transfer
that they had been on hunger strike to protest the conditions of their
detention and their controversial convictions, saying that the conditions had
"deteriorated” over the previous week.
He expressed gratitude and appreciation to all those who had
expressed concern about the case.
On August 7, defense lawyers said that the detainees were subjected
to torture at the Asayish prison in Erbil where they were being held and were
put under intense pressure from the authorities, which were inconsistent with
their rights.
The Asayish in Erbil and Duhok are affiliated with the
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
Foreign and local watchdogs have expressed alarm about the
deterioration of freedom of the press and expression in the Kurdistan Region
since Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, who is a senior KDP official, took office
in July 2019.
(NRT Digital Media)