Kurdish Journalist Sherwan Sherwani Faces Extended Imprisonment Amid Ongoing Press Freedom Concerns

March 16, 2025 – Kudish/Iraq – 

Sherwan Sherwani, a Kurdish investigative journalist and human rights defender, remains incarcerated in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq following a series of controversial legal actions that have drawn widespread condemnation from international human rights organizations.

Initially arrested in October 2020 for covering anti-government protests in Duhok, Sherwani was sentenced in February 2021 to six years in prison on charges of “endangering national security.” The trial was criticized for serious violations of fair trial standards, including allegations of torture and the use of coerced confessions.

In February 2022, his sentence was reduced by half through a presidential decree, setting his expected release for September 2023. However, just two months before this date, an Erbil court sentenced him to an additional four years for allegedly falsifying a document related to a conditional release request. This conviction proceeded despite testimonies from fellow detainees affirming that Sherwani had their consent to sign on their behalf.

The additional sentence was later reduced to two years, but administrative delays have prolonged his imprisonment beyond the adjusted release date. Most recently, in March 2025, a judge denied his conditional release, mandating that he serve an extra six months.

Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders, have condemned Sherwani’s continued detention, viewing it as part of a broader pattern of suppressing dissent and press freedom in the region. They have called for his immediate and unconditional release, emphasizing the need for the Kurdistan Regional Government to uphold international standards of justice and human rights.

Reference – 

https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/160320252

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/two-months-his-release-date-sherwan-sherwani-sentenced-additional-four-years-prison

Kurdish journalist Sherwani’s release denied, six more months added