Four Kurdish activists – Masoud Ali Haci, Bendewar Eyub, Karger Abbas Ali and Şerwan Teha Emîn – were imprisoned in June 2020 by a court in Iraqi Kurdistan, following mass demonstrations that had taken place in Iraqi Kurdistan in which people had voiced their grievances and made a number of economic and political demands.
The four activists have been on a death-fast since Monday. Their trial was expected to begin on Wednesday in a heavy penalty court in Erbil. Upon hearing news that the trial was being adjourned for a third time, the families of the activists protested in front of Erbil’s Court against this decision and the continued repression and imprisonment of the activists by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Roj News reported.
The families also stated that they had been prohibited from visiting their loved ones in prison and appealed to the KDP authorities to urgently release the Kurdish activists. The son of one of the detainees stated that his father had been arrested for demanding the rights of everyone and for rising up against corruption. “We are proud of our father,” he said.
The son of another jailed activist said, “My father has served this country for 25 years. He has educated many students. This is such a shame!”
“We have not seen our children for a year,” the mother of one of the jailed activists said. “They do not let us see our children. May God not accept such cruelty.”