Erbil Court Extend Guhdar Zebari's Prison Sentence

Kurdistan 06:12 PM - 2023-10-01

Guhdar Zebari.

In the presence of various foreign diplomats, Guhdar Zebari received an extended prison sentence of six months. Zebari received the punishment, according to the prisoner's mother, for having an antique rifle hanging in his home.

Guhdar Zebari, a journalist and activist, received a six-month prison sentence in the presence of diplomatic representatives from the consulates of the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, France, Britain, and the United States.

"My son was punished under the pretext of possessing an illegal weapon in his house," Zebari's mother told reporters. "What they called a weapon was his grandfather's rifle that he hung in his house as an antique piece because it dates back to the British era." 

The defense team of Badinan prisoners told a press conference that the Erbil court's decision to extend Guhdar Zebari was "political, not legal," demanding an appeal against the decision.

Omed Baroshki, a journalist and activist from Badinan, stated during a press conference that the case of Guhdar Zebari has been politicized and that Zebari's health in prison is deteriorating due to his hunger strike. 

He stated: "Human rights organizations should speak up and have a say in the Erbil court's decision."

Journalist and activist Guhdar Zebari is one of the Badinan journalists and activists who was arrested for political reasons by the Kurdistan Democratic Party's (KDP) security forces on October 22, 2020. He was charged with espionage and sabotage under Article 156 of the Iraqi Penal Code Law No. 111 of 1969, as amended by the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Law No. 21 of 2003.

Zebari was supposed to be released on August 16, 2023, but the Erbil security forces opened a new case against him for having an old rifle as an antique piece in his home.

He appeared in his first court trial alongside Sherwan Sherwani, Eyaz Karam, Hariwan Essa, and Shivan Saeed. The first trial took place over two days on February 15–16, 2021. Despite a lack of substantial evidence, they were convicted and sentenced to six years in prison. This decision was appealed and upheld twice, on May 6 and June 27, 2021.

On August 29, 2022, Zebari was separated from the other Badinan prisoners because of accusations he was sending information to the media. Prison security has changed its accusations multiple times to justify the separation of Guhdar from the other prisoners. In March 2023, he was sentenced to an additional seven months on charges of misuse of communication; the sentence was subsequently reduced to five months.  

 

 

PUKMEDIA