UK Kurdish Activist Rawezh Taha Condemn KDP
KurdFile London
On 5 August 2025, Kurdish activists in the United Kingdom staged a protest against the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and its affiliated judicial bodies over the decision to extend the prison sentences of journalists Sherwan Sherwani and Omed Baroshki.
Participants denounced the move as a calculated attempt to suppress freedom of expression and silence independent voices in the Kurdistan Region. They called on the international community and human rights organizations to take urgent measures to hold the Kurdistan Regional Government accountable for its ongoing restrictions on media and civil liberties.
Activist’s Statement to KurdFile Media
Speaking to KurdFile Media, Kurdish activist Rawezh Rzgar Taha described the extensions as “a clear attempt by those in power to silence the free voice and eliminate any breath for freedom.”
He strongly condemned the decision, asserting that the KDP’s actions exemplify a wider pattern of political interference in the judiciary aimed at intimidating journalists and activists. Rawezh urged the global community to intervene, warning that continued inaction would embolden further violations against those advocating for transparency and accountability.
The protest served as both a call for justice in the cases of Sherwani and Baroshki and a broader demand for the protection of press freedom and the right to peaceful dissent across the Kurdistan Region.