Sulaimani, August 19th, 2025: Metro Center says that the trial of Sherwan Sherwani and his friends was not followed in accordance with the conditions of a fair trial and was not excluded from political interference. We ask the Court of Appeal to quash the decision. 

Sherwan Sherwani, an activist convicted in Erbil, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison today.

Mohammed Abdullah, one of Sherwan Sherwani's lawyers has said that the Bnaslawa court held hearing on the third case against Sherwani. On someone's complaint, he was sentenced under Article 229 of the Penal Code. "The court sentenced him to four years and six months without conclusive evidence, but the case is illegal and has been interfered with outside the court," he said. 

Earlier, on February 16th, 2021, the Erbil court sentenced Sherwan Sherwani and four other friends to six years in prison under Article 156 of the Iraqi Penal Code, No. (21).

On July 20th, 2023, the Erbil District Court again sentenced Sherwan Sherwani, a member of the Kurdistan Union of Journalists, to four years in prison under Articles 298 and 295 of the Criminal Code.

According to the amnesty issued by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) president, Sherwan Sherwani was supposed to be released in March this year, but a new case was opened against him.