Shaswar Abdulwahid not released despite prison term ending

SULAIMANI, Iraqi Kurdistan region,— The prison term of Kurdish opposition leader and media owner Shaswar Abdulwahid has formally ended, but authorities did not release him and instead returned him to detention, Nalia Radio and Television NRT TV reported, citing information from judicial and security sources.

Abdulwahid, who leads the New Generation Movement NGM and owns the Sulaimani based NRT television network, was arrested in mid August 2025 by security forces in Sulaimani city in Iraqi Kurdistan region.

His arrest came about three months before regional elections and followed a court ruling related to a case decided earlier that month.

According to court documents, a judicial panel issued a verdict on August 3 sentencing Abdulwahid in absentia to six months in prison under Article 431 of the Iraqi Penal Code.

That article addresses threats made against individuals, property or reputation. The sentence was later reduced to five months after further legal review.

Abdulwahid completed the full term on Monday, December 29, 2025. Despite the expiry of the sentence, authorities did not release him and transferred him again to prison, according to sources familiar with the case.

No official explanation was immediately provided for the continued detention.

The imprisonment of the head of the NGM, also known as Cûłanewey Newey Nwê, drew wide attention at the time, with party members and observers describing the case as politically motivated. After several court hearings, the five month sentence was upheld.

In October, authorities in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region auctioned nearly 60 properties linked to Abdulwahid from the Chavy Land entertainment complex in Sulaimani. According to authorities, the sale raised more than 91 billion Iraqi dinars, equivalent to about 69.5 million U.S. dollars.

Shareholders have accused Abdulwahid of failing to distribute dividends, saying returns on a reported 22 million dollar investment since 2011 were minimal. Some investors stated they received as little as 80,000 dinars, about 67 dollars, over a ten year period.