Erbil Asayish brings fresh legal action against Shiladze Detainees

Kurdistan 01:54 PM - 2023-02-26

Shiladze Detainees

In an effort to punish the five Shiladze Detainees even further, Erbil's Asayish Directorate has filed a new lawsuit against them, while the Badinan Detainees are also in poor health.

"The five Shiladze prisoners are accused of defaming the Asayish on the day of their trial, June 15, 2022, according to a new lawsuit filed by Erbil Asayish at the Kurdistan Police Station in Erbil," Bashdar Hassan, head of the defense team for the Badinan Detainees, told PUKMEDIA.

Hassan stated that the international centers, human rights groups, and consulates had been notified. 

"This new lawsuit is intended to punish the Shiladze Prisoners while the condition of the Badinan Detainees is typically awful," Hassan added.

The Shildaze Detainees were imprisoned in Duhok on suspicion of planning anti-government demonstrations in the Shiladze subdistrict of Duhok in May 2022. The Erbil Asayish Directorate kept them in detention after the court ordered their release on December 11, 2022, following serving a two-year sentence.

Names and dates of abduction of arrested activists of Shiladze

Mahmoud Naji Sadiq (activist), arrested in Sheladze on December 9, 2020
Kovan Tariq Jibrail (Activist), arrested in Sheladze on December 9, 2020
Yousef Sharif Ibrahim (activist), arrested in Sheladze on December 9, 2020
Amjad Yousef Mustafa (activist), arrested in Sheladze on December 14, 2020
Nechirvan Badi' Haji (activist), arrested in Sheladze on December 14, 2020

U.S. concerned about freedom in Kurdistan Region

The United States (U.S.) recently voiced concerns about restrictions on freedom in the Kurdistan Region.

The U.S. Consulate General in the Kurdistan Region stated that Consul General Irvin Hicks shares concerns for "the backslide in human rights, freedom of expression and media, and the rights of minorities and women in the IKR."

"The United States is dedicated to defending freedom of expression and the press and believes that journalists and media outlets should be able to cover the news without fear of intimidation, harassment, or retaliation," Hicks said.

Lawyer Hassan previously told PUKMEDIA that, "There is a significant disparity in the rights of prisoners in Sulaymaniyah, Erbil, and Duhok... prisoners' rights are better safeguarded in Sulaymaniyah."

According to Hassan, the inmates in Erbil and Duhok ought to be given the same level of protection as those in Sulaymaniyah.

Bashdar Hassan received the International Human Rights Defense Award from the U.S. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Affairs on February 1, 2023. Each year, only two people are given the honor. Bashdar Hassan was chosen to get the award this year out of a total of 600 CVs that were submitted from all around the world.



PUKMEDIA