SULAIMANI (ESTA) — A court in Erbil on Tuesday sentenced five journalists and activists each to six years in jail on national security charges.
Lawyer Bashdar Hassan said the court had sentenced Sherwan Sherwani, Shivan Saeed, Ayaz Karam, Hariwan Issa and Guhdar Zebari each to six years in prison.
“The trial went well yesterday, but it was the opposite today. Negative impacts could be seen in today’s trial,” the lawyer said in a press conference.
“The verdict shocked us. The accusations made by the public prosecutor against the detainees were surprising,” he added.
“There is no evidence on the accusations made against the detainees because there are several ways to prove an accusation, such as confession and the presence of two witnesses. There was none of the evidence to prove the accusations.”
As many as 76 journalists and activists have been detained for allegedly disrupting national security in the Region.
