📍London

Today is Tuesday, August 4, 2025. I participated in a protest organized by the *Rêga Azadî* (Path to Freedom) organization in front of the Iraqi Embassy in London. We also held demonstrations in Manchester to raise our voices against injustice and oppression.

We organized this protest to strongly condemn the unjust extension of the prison sentences of wrongfully detained journalists Sherwan Sherwani and **Omed Baroshki**—two honest and independent journalists. We consider the decision to prolong their imprisonment illegal, politically motivated, and immoral.

Notably, we raised a petition signed by the participants and submitted it to the Iraqi consulate. We will also send this petition to the European Union and international human rights organizations. In the petition, we have exposed the violations committed by the authorities of the Kurdistan Region and alerted the international community about their oppressive actions. We strongly criticized the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials for suppressing freedom of expression, silencing activists, journalists, and dissenting voices. The petition demands the immediate release of the respected Sherwan Sherwani, Omed Baroshki, Qareman Shukri, and all unjustly detained activists.

The authorities of the Kurdistan Region, particularly Masrour Barzani and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), are gradually silencing free voices through surveillance, imprisonment, and interference in the judiciary. We call on the international community to take action and ensure the release of Sherwan Sherwani, Omed Baroshki, Qareman Shukri, and all political prisoners.

Freedom for Sherwan Sherwani, Omed Baroshki, and all those unjustly imprisoned for speaking the truth!

Written by Hana Nasradin.