Syrian Kurdish journalist Sulayman Ahmed has spent over a year in detention in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Duhok Security Directorate prison, sentenced to three years on espionage charges. Arrested by Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) security forces on 25 October 2023 while travelling legally from Syria to Iraqi Kurdistan, Ahmed was held incommunicado for seven months before gaining access to his legal team, following civil and international pressure.
Ahmed’s sentencing, rendered by a Duhok court on 29 July, was issued despite claims from his legal representatives that no substantial evidence of espionage was presented. KDP authorities have alleged he spied on behalf of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) under Article 1 of Law No. 21 (2003) on national security, but have denied any link between his detention and his journalistic activities with RojNews.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the MENA Rights Group have raised concerns about Ahmed’s treatment, filing an urgent appeal with the United Nations in May. His lawyers, who continue to fight his sentence, have requested intensified international support to ensure a fair retrial. “This case extends beyond politics; it affects journalism and society as a whole,” said Ahmed’s lawyer, Neriman Ahmed, in a public appeal.
