Presidency of Appellate Court Erbil Region building (File)
AM:09:55:15/09/2021
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SULAIMANI — Trial against detained activist Badal Barwari
and journalist Omed Baroshki who have been in prison for more than a year without
facing the main charges against them was postponed until October 12 by a court
in Erbil on Wednesday (September 15).
Head of the defense team for the detainees Bashdar Hassan told
NRT that the delay was because one of the judges was on leave and the substitute
judge had not read the case.
Hassan said that the cases have been "politicized” since the
beginning, adding that postponing the trials and hearings aims to bother and
drain the lawyers and families of the detainees.
"We will not be bothered and we will have stronger wills,” he added.
Using a serious national security statute, prosecutors
allege that they tried to undermine the security and unity of the state.
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.
Multiple sources told NRT and human rights watchdogs that at
least 81 detainees were on hunger strike at Erbil General Asayish Prison.
Eleven detainees, including Barwari and Baroshki, have had
hearings and trials repeatedly postponed, which allows the government to
continue to imprison them without testing its case against them in court and
denying their legal rights.
Barwari and Baroshki were due to stand trial on July 29 and
again on September 6, but the hearings were postponed.
Separately, Baroshki was sentenced on June 23 to a year in
jail and payment of a fine on three charges of violating Article 2 of the Communication
Devices Misuse Law.
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)
This story was updated at 10:54 a.m. EBL