Şivan Azad was attacked after protesting the sentence he received in the lawsuit against him in Southern Kurdistan, which he couldn’t attend personally because he’s in Europe, and criticized the KDP government’s policies.
The KDP has displayed a submissive stance in the face of Iraqi forces and has set their men on whoever criticizes them.
Şivan Azad was a police officer in Hewlêr, and was arrested in August 2017 for some of his Facebook posts. He was later released in his first hearing at the court with bail set at 3 million Iraqi Dinars. As soon as he was released, he fled to Europe through illegal means.
Şivan Azad was sentenced to five years in prison last month in the Hewlêr Criminal Court in his absence. Azad protested what Southern Kurdistan is going through and the sentence he received in his absence, after which he was attacked. Azad had left to go home when he was attacked by 12 people on the street and was battered. He recorded a video about being attacked in the middle of the street in broad daylight in Europe, the mistreatment he received and the threats the attackers issued.
Azad said: “They beat me up for hours. My face is unrecognizable. When they tortured me, they told me they support the KDP and they wouldn’t let me criticize and speak against the KDP. They threatened me and said it would be worse if I continue to speak and criticize.”
