Kurdish Activists Across UK Protest Extension of Sentences for Sherwani and Baroshki

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This report covers Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and Glasgow

KurdFile Media | 05.08.2025

In a unified call for justice and press freedom, the Kurdish organization Dakok led a protest in Leeds on August 5, 2025, opposing the continued imprisonment of Omed Baroshki and Sherwan Sherwani two journalists targeted by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for exercising their right to free expression.

Baroshki recently received a six-month sentence for nothing more than writing a social media comment. Sherwani, whose prison term was due to end this September, now faces new politically motivated charges intended to extend his detention part of what many see as a pattern of judicial harassment led by the ruling KDP.

Dakok, which has become a leading Kurdish voice for human rights in exile, condemned the actions of the KRG’s judiciary, labeling it a tool of political repression.

Simultaneous solidarity gatherings and media recordings were also organized by KurdFile Media in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Leeds, capturing the voices of Kurdish activists, journalists, and UK-based supporters calling for the immediate release of the two journalists.

These actions reflect growing frustration in the Kurdish diaspora over the continued silencing of dissent in the Kurdistan Region. Protesters carried placards demanding accountability and called for international attention to the abuse of power by Kurdish authorities.

Manchester Footage from KurdFile Media