As Suleyman Ahmed awaits trial before the Duhok Criminal Court in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) on 30 June, the Committee to Protect Journalists has issued a statement demanding the immediate release of the Kurdish journalist and the dropping of all charges against him. Ahmed will be tried under Article 1 of Law No. 21 of 2003, which relates to undermining the security of the Kurdistan Region, a legal article on which many journalists and activists in the region have been tried.
Kurdish journalist Ahmed has been detained in a prison in Duhok for 246 days, as of 26 June. He was reportedly abducted on 25 October by internal security forces (Asayîş) linked to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) at the Faysh Khabur border crossing with Syria while returning from his father’s funeral.
Ahmed’s whereabouts remained unknown for 211 days, with his lawyers granted their first and only visit to him on 22 May. During the short legal meeting, Ahmed stated that he had been held in solitary confinement and was subjected to physical torture by prison guards. He also reported that his health was deteriorating.
Ahmed has been working for five years as an editor for the Arabic section of RojNews Agency. In the meeting with his lawyer, he also thanked everyone who made his situation public and asked for these efforts to continue until he is released.
