A court in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Sulaymaniyah has sentenced Shaswar Abdulwahid, head of the opposition New Generation Movement, to five months in prison following a complaint filed by former regional lawmaker Shadi Nozad, Kurdish sources reported.
Abdulwahid was arrested on August 12 by security forces while staying in the “German Village” residential complex in Sulaymaniyah. He could face additional verdicts in other pending cases against him.
Tuesday’s ruling comes just days after clashes in Sulaymaniyah involving members of the family of late Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, which ended with the arrest of Lahur Sheikh Jangi, head of the People’s Front Party and cousin of Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
According to reports, the court based its decision on “evidence and documents” submitted in the case, brought under Article 431 of the Iraqi Penal Code.
The article criminalizes threats to commit a felony against a person or property, or to reveal information damaging to a person’s honor, when accompanied by a demand to act or refrain from acting. Convictions can carry sentences of up to seven years.
Abdulwahid’s defense team, however, argued that the charges are politically motivated, saying the timing reflects attempts to undermine the New Generation Movement.
Supporters claim the movement has increasingly become a political target after emerging as the third-largest force in Kurdistan behind the PUK and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), with nine seats in Iraq’s federal parliament and 15 in the Kurdish regional parliament.
Following the sentencing, Abdulwahid’s lawyers said in a statement that the hearing “was not legal” and demanded his immediate release.
They added that the New Generation Movement will continue its political activity and contest the upcoming parliamentary elections “whether its leader is inside or outside prison.”
In addition to the criminal cases, Abdulwahid faces financial troubles. The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economy announced Sunday that his company, Nalia, owes 92 billion Iraqi dinars (around $74 million).
The ministry said it would confiscate 60 of his properties, including land plots, hotels, cafes, and tourist cabins, to be sold at public auction.
