It was stated that the situation of the human rights activists imprisoned in Behdinan who went on death fast on 6 September, is critical. Behdinan Detainee Families Representative Ehan Seîd said that the health of the prisoners on hunger strike is critical and that some detainees weigh as much as 40 kilograms.

Call to the authorities

Ehan Seîd said: “As representative of Behdinan Detainees I issue a call to the United Nations, the Kurdistan Regional Parliament, the Ministry of Justice, and human rights representatives in Iraq, Hewler and Baghdad. Allows visits to the detainees. We call on the necessary authorities to apply pressure to ensure the law is complied with.”

Ehan Seid said that the 4 demands of the detainees were as follows:

“-Visits with families and lawyers should be allowed.

-Detainees should be transferred from Public Security Prison to Gewran Prison.

-The case of detainees who have not been tried for more than a year should be seen and solved by the General Court.

-All detainees are civilians and there is not a single piece of evidence or document that finds them guilty. The detainees should be prosecuted in accordance with the Kurdish Journalism Law No. 5 and Law No. 11 on protests.”

72 people, including lawyers, journalists, intellectuals, writers and human rights activists, have been in prison in Behdinan since June 2020.