Head of the defense team Bashdar Hassan speaks in a press conference on September 6, 2021. (NRT Digital Media/Screenshot)
AM:11:27:06/09/2021
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SULAIMANI — A court in Erbil postponed court proceedings
against four imprisoned activists from Duhok who were arrested last year on
Monday (September 6), according to a lawyer.
The activists include Sherwan Taha, Masoud Ali, Kargar Abas,
and Bandawar Ayub.
Head of the defense team Bashdar Hassan said in a press conference
that the trial was postponed because the court added two new judges who were "not
aware” of the cases.
According to the defendants, their conditions is "terrible”
and are ill-treated by Asayish members in the prison, he said.
He added that a new date will be set for the next trial on
Tuesday.
Following protests in Duhok last year against the Kurdistan Regional
Government’s (KRG) economic policies, the local security forces, which are
affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), arrested dozens of people
in a widespread crackdown to suppress expressions of dissent.
Since then, at least seventeen activists and journalists
have been tried on serious national security charges, in what have been widely
condemned as politically motivated trials that are beset with procedural flaws
that do not adhere to international standards of due process and judicial
independence.
Seven of those have been convicted and sentenced to
significant prison terms between one and seven years in prison.
Many others have not yet had their day in court, despite
being arrested last autumn.
(NRT Digital Media)
This story was updated at 12:09 p.m. EBL