(Beirut) – A prison courtroom in Baghdad sentenced an activist to 3 years in jail on December 5, 2022 for allegedly criticizing the late former chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Qassim Suleimani, Human Rights Watch mentioned at this time.
On June 6, authorities arrested activist Hayder Finjan al-Zaidi, 20, primarily based on a Twitter submit he allegedly made that month, however launched him on bail after 16 days. He and his father Hamid, 66, deny posting the evaluation, insisting his Twitter account was hacked. Authorities should instantly launch al-Zaidi and droop all prosecutions that violate the basic rights of the defendants and repeal the legislation that criminalizes criticism of public officers.
“No matter who posted the Twitter message, the Iraqi justice system shouldn’t be used as a instrument to suppress peaceable criticism of authorities or armed actors,” mentioned Adam Coogle, deputy Center East director at Human Rights. Watch. “It is a unhappy reflection on the rule of legislation in Iraq that an activist like al-Zaidi will get three years in jail for a Twitter submit he says he did not write whereas dozens of officers and armed teams take pleasure in impunity for killing activists and protesters.”
The Twitter submit in query referred to as Suleimani a “spy”, opposite to the label of “martyr” as many Iraqi elites name him. Suleimani was assassinated on January 3, 2021 in a US drone strike. The strike additionally killed Abu Mehdi al-Munhandis, then chief of the Standard Mobilization Forces (PMF, or al-hashd al-shaabi), a set of armed teams nominally below the management of the Iraqi Prime Minister as head of the armed forces.
“This condemnation sends a transparent message to activists that any criticism of the authorities and the PMF can be punished,” Salman Khairallah, an Iraqi human rights activist, instructed Human Rights Watch.
The courtroom convicted Hayder below Article 226 of Iraq’s penal code, which prohibits “publicly insulting” the nationwide meeting, the armed forces or some other authorities physique with a sentence not exceeding seven years in jail. Activists in Baghdad instructed Human Rights Watch that the PMF was liable for Hayder’s arrest and {that a} committee throughout the PMF filed a criticism in opposition to Hayder. The sentencing determination states that the PMF can also be entitled to monetary compensation from Hayder.
“I went to courtroom with Hayder at this time, however they would not let me in,” his father instructed Human Rights Watch. “His lawyer accompanied him and we hoped he could be launched as a result of Hayder didn’t publish something.” Hamid was shocked to study that his son must serve years in jail.
“Whoever stole $2.5 billion has been launched on bail,” he mentioned, evaluating his son’s case to a surprising latest case of rampant corruption in Iraq. “In the meantime, my son was sentenced to 3 years in jail for a Twitter submit he did not even write.”
“Al-Zaidi shouldn’t spend one other second in jail after his grossly unfair trial,” Coogle mentioned. “Authorities ought to give attention to addressing the various challenges dealing with the nation somewhat than persecuting activists.”
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