SULAIMANI (ESTA) — A court in Erbil once again postponed hearing on cases of several activists who were detained in Duhok last year, their lawyer said on Monday.
Erbil criminal court was scheduled to hold a trial of activists Masoud Shangali, Kargar Abbas, Bandawar Ayub and Shirwan Taha on Monday.
The trial was postponed for the third time due to changes in posts of the judges, lawyer Bashdar Hassan said.
Lawmakers and organizations have said the trials are being postponed because there is “no evidence” against the detainees.
On Sept. 6, the court delayed the activists’ trial to Oct. 4 due to “changes made in the posts of the head and two other judges of the court”, according to their layer.
Meanwhile, members of the detainee’s families and a number of lawmakers have gone on a strike outside Erbil court against the postponement of trials.
The Kurdish security forces detained dozens of journalists and activists in Duhok in 2020 over espionage and allegedly undermining national security in the Kurdistan Region.
In February, Erbil criminal court sentenced journalists Sherwan Sherwani, Guhdar Zebari and Ayaz Karam as well as activists Shvan Omer and Hariwan Issa to six years in prison on national security charges.
Their lawyers presented appeals twice to the court of appellate, but they were rejected.
According to Hassan, there are still 35 more activists whose cases are still at the directorate of Asayish (security).
