Female Badinan activist released a month later than scheduled

Women 04:08 PM - 2022-05-10

The woman in the middle is Berivan Ayoub. (PUKmedia/ Karwan Masoud)

The defense team of Badinan detainees confirmed the release of activist Berivan Ayoub on Tuesday.

According to the defense team, she was released after serving 19 months in jail without proving any of the charges against her.

Ayoub was arrested in October 2020 after participating in a demonstration in April of that year as she protested against corruption and unpaid wages in Duhok.

Her release was scheduled for April, but was delayed as “her ID card was missing” slowing down her release process, according to the defense team lawyer Bashdar Hassan.

Ayoub told reporters in a press conference that she was treated badly in prison which caused her long-term illness and that she suffers from diabetes now.

Parliamentarian Karwan Gaznaii said in a previous statement to PUKmedia: "Very weak charges were brought against activist Berivan Ayoub and activist Abdul Abdul Muttalib, but unfortunately, the court decided to imprison them for two years."

In 2021, the Erbil Court of Cassation approved the 6-year prison sentence of 5 journalists and activists in Badinan, among about 90 journalists and activists, who were arrested on charges related to freedom of expression which brought wide local and international condemnation.

Masoud Shingali and Sherwan Sherwani were released earlier in April. The United States welcomed their release.



PUKmedia