SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Journalist Guhdar Zebari received a six-month prison extension following the court ruling in Erbil on Sunday.
This comes after Zebari was initially convicted and sentenced to six years in prison in February 2021 by a criminal court in the Kurdistan Region. The charges against him were related to allegations of destabilizing the security and stability of the Region.
However, a presidential decision subsequently reduced his sentence by 60%, resulting in a revised release date of March 16, 2023.
In 2023, a new case was opened against Zebari just one day before his scheduled release, leading to an additional seven-month sentence.
Zebari promptly filed an appeal against this decision, but the sentence was only reduced to five months. His latest hearing took place today, October 1, in Erbil, culminating in the court’s verdict, which imposed a prison term of six months upon Zebari.
The UK consulate general in Erbil recently stated that they are closely monitoring the situation, including the scheduled hearing in October.
The family of journalist Zebari has reported that he has been on a hunger strike, and his physical condition is deteriorating. He has experienced significant weight loss and appears visibly unwell as a consequence.
