The Kurdistan Journalists’ Association released a statement strongly condemning the violations of the freedom of the press and freedom of thought in Turkey and southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq).

The association defined the mass detention of journalists in Turkey on Tuesday as a concrete manifestation of the fact that Turkey has turned into a prison for journalists. It stated that the unlawful raids on journalists’ houses and their detention as a violation of the rule of law and the freedom of the press.

The association also spoke against the unlawful treatment of journalist Sherwan Sherwani, who was sentenced by a criminal court in Hewlêr (Erbil) to four years in prison last week for an alleged forgery of documents. The reason for the charge was an application for the conditional release of several journalists and activists from prison. Sherwani is also alleged to have signed the document on behalf of his colleague Guhdar Zebari because the latter was in solitary confinement and could not sign it himself. Although Zebari repeatedly stated during the trial that he had explicitly given Sherwani the authority to sign on his behalf, his testimony was ignored by the court.

According to the association, the sentencing of Sherwan Sherwani to an additional four years in prison made matters worse with regard to the freedom of the press in the region and it was unacceptable and unlawful that he was sentenced to prison for signing a document on behalf of a colleague of his.

Referring to the reactions of national and international press organizations and institutions against the increasingly ongoing attacks on journalists, the Kurdistan Journalists’ Association noted that the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also called for the release of Sherwani, stating, ““With the latest decision to extend his imprisonment by four years, Iraqi Kurdish authorities are showing their determination to tell the world how vicious they can be against journalists.”

The association stated that all these events proved the fact that basic democratic rights such as the freedom of the press and the freedom of thought were threateningly restricted in Turkey and South Kurdistan.          

The Kurdistan Journalists’ Association called for the immediate release of detained and jailed journalists and defence of the freedom of the press. “Journalism is not a crime but a right that should be safeguarded under all circumstances,” it said.