Imprisoned journalist Sherwan Sherwani (file)
PM:03:49:14/09/2021
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SULAIMANI — Imprisoned journalist Sherwan Sherwani who was controversially
sentenced to six years in prison along with four other detainees during a
February trial confirmed on Tuesday (September 14) that almost all the 81 journalists,
activists, and ordinary citizens arrested in Duhok last year are on hunger
strike.
On Saturday, brother of one of the detainees Ayhan Saeed
Omar said that 72 Duhok detainees have been on hunger strike since September 6,
citing a source from Erbil General Asayish Prison.
Following protests in Duhok last year against the Kurdistan
Regional Government’s (KRG) economic policies, the local security forces, which
are affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), arrested dozens of
people in a widespread crackdown to suppress expressions of dissent.
During a phone call with the Christian Peacemaker
Teams-Iraqi Kurdistan (CPT-IK), Sherwani said that some of the detainees also refuse
to drink water.
Sherwani called on people to take action in support of the
detainees.
According to the CPT, Sherwani was particularly worried for
the situation of the other detainees who have not been tried in court yet and are
held in Asayish prison.
On September 9, Sherwani along with journalist Ayaz Karam
and activists Shvan Saeed and Hariwan Issa, who were all sentenced to six yearsin prison, were transferred from Asyaish prison to Erbil Reform Prison.
Another journalist who was sentenced along with the four,
Guhdar Zebari, remains in the custody of the Asayish.
On August 7, defense lawyers said that the detainees weresubjected to torture at the Asayish prison and were put under intense pressurefrom the authorities, which were inconsistent with their rights.
The Asayish in Erbil and Duhok are affiliated with the 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)