Judge refuses to free Kurdish journalist Sherwani, extends term

ERBIL,— A well-known Kurdish Journalist Sherwan Sherwani, imprisoned for covering protests against the Barzani-led Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), will remain in prison for another six months after a judge refused to approve his early release, his lawyer said Sunday.

Sherwani was detained in October 2020 along with other journalists and activists in Duhok province, an area controlled by the ruling Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). They were arrested after reporting on public demonstrations over unpaid government wages.

In February 2021, he was sentenced to six years for allegedly “endangering national security.”

Watchdog groups claim that Sherwani’s arrest stems from his outspoken criticism of Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of the Kurdistan region, and his investigative reporting into Barzani’s alleged role in the deaths of journalists and human rights defenders in Iraqi Kurdistan.

His lawyer, Ramazan Artisi, said efforts to secure Sherwani’s conditional release had failed.

“We have been working on his release since last week, but today the judge rejected it,” Artisi told reporters. “He has to serve another six months.”

In 2022, Iraqi Kurdistan region president Nechirvan Barzani issued a decree reducing Sherwani’s sentence by 50 percent.

However, in July 2023, an Erbil court imposed an additional four-year term over accusations of forging a legal document, just two months before he was due to be released. A later decree reduced that term to two years.

The imprisonment of Sherwani and other journalists from Duhok—known as the “Badinan detainees”—has drawn strong criticism from international rights groups. Amnesty International has condemned his prosecution, saying he was convicted on “bogus charges” and that his trial was marred by “serious violations of fair trial standards.”

According to Amnesty, Sherwani’s conviction relied on forced confessions obtained under duress, and authorities failed to investigate allegations of mistreatment in custody.

Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), an independent monitoring group, has also raised concerns about political influence over the judiciary in KDP-controlled areas. The organization urged the KRG to uphold its commitments to press freedom and judicial independence.

Kurdish authorities have faced repeated scrutiny over their treatment of journalists. Metro Center for Journalists Rights and Advocacy recorded 182 violations against journalists and media outlets in 2024, down from 231 in 2023.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged Kurdish authorities in Iraq to release journalist Sherwan Sherwani without delay, dismiss all charges against him, and ensure that journalists can operate freely and without restrictions.