More than 150 journalists from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), together with the Metro Center for Journalist Rights & Advocacy and more than a dozen Kurdish media organisations, are calling for the immediate release of Sherwan Sherwani. In a statement read out at a public press conference in Sulaymaniyah on Sunday, they expressed solidarity with the imprisoned journalist and human rights activist and criticised his recent conviction.

Sherwan Sherwani was sentenced on Thursday by a criminal court in Hewlêr (Erbil) to four years in prison - 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.

"The judiciary's handling of Sherwan Sherwani shows that fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and freedom of the press are not tolerated in the KRI. The region is dominated by a police mentality and has become a dangerous place for free and independent media practitioners. We strongly reject this system and condemn the persecution of our colleague Sherwan Sherwani in the name of law and order. Journalists must not be victims of hatred, revenge and retaliation. We support Sherwan Sherwani and demand his immediate release," said the appeal, which was delivered by Kemal Rauf.

Sherwan Sherwani, a journalist imprisoned since 2020 and already convicted of "undermining national security", has been a target of the judiciary and the authorities since he exposed corruption in the KRI government and human rights violations against political prisoners by the domestic intelligence agency. His release was planned for September - on the basis of a decree by the KRI president that reduced Sherwani's prison sentence by half. But Thursday's verdict means that nothing will come of it for the time being. In addition, at least one more case is pending against the journalist - on charges of defaming the Asayish.

The appeal for Sherwan Sherwani was initiated and coordinated by the Metro Center for Journalist Rights & Advocacy, a KRI-based NGO that campaigns for the rights of media workers. The appeal also aims to draw attention to the situation of press freedom in general in the South Kurdistan autonomous region, which has deteriorated drastically since Prime Minister Masrour Barzani of the KDP took office in July 2019. In particular, the security laws are often used as an excuse to persecute journalists.