Masrour Barzani: I urge everyone to respect the judiciary system in the Kurdistan Region

Shafaq News / The Prime Minister of Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, urged "everyone" to respect the Kurdistan region's judiciary decisions, after several parties criticized the issuance of prison sentences against journalists and activists.

On Monday, seven citizens from Duhok, including two journalists, were put on trial in Erbil for "endangering the national security of the Kurdistan Region." Five of the defendants – Sherwan Sherwani, Shvan Saeed, Ayaz Karam, Hariwan Issa, and Guhdar Zebari – were found guilty and were sentenced to six years in jail.

Barzani said in a tweet," I strongly urge everyone to respect the judiciary system in the Kurdistan Region and to let it do its job independently and without interference."

The defendants were convicted against the background of bloody protests in al-Sulaymaniyah governorate late last year, when demonstrators attacked government and party headquarters, set fire to them and assaulted their cadres.