SULAIMANI (ESTA) — A trial of five activists who were detained in Duhok province last year was postponed to further notice, a lawyer said on Monday.
Lawyer Bashdar Hassan told reporters that the trial was postponed because the main judge wasn’t ready in Monday’s hearing.
“The other judge said he had not read the papers, and he postponed the trial,” Hassan said.
The activists who had a trial on Monday were Amir Khalid Agid, Firsat Ahmed Saeed, Jamal Khalil Majid, Sleman Kamal Sleman, and Sleman Musa Ahmed.
The Kurdish security forces arrested dozens of journalists and activists in Duhok province in June 2020 over espionage and allegedly undermining national security in the Kurdistan Region.
The activists’ family said in a press conference that some of the defendants had lost weight.
“Two of the defendants had refused to have lawyers, seemingly they were under pressure,” the defendants’ lawyer said.
Lawyer Hassan also said there was a heavy presence of security forces in the courtroom, which is “not allowed according to law”.
Trials of six other activists are scheduled to be held on July 12 and 29.
According to lawyer Hassan, there are still 35 more activists whose cases are still at the directorate of Asayish (security).
