Pray for justice and freedom for 76 civil rights activists and independent journalists from Badinan Region in Iraqi Kurdistan. After a year in prison, most of them in pre-trial detention under accusations of “endangering national security,” they started a hunger strike. The lives of some of them are in danger.
Sherwan Taha, Masoud Ali, Karger Abbas, Bandawar Ayoub,Sleman Kamal, Sleman Mousa, Fersat Ahmad, Jamal Khalil and Aamer Khalid have been held in pre-trial detention under appalling conditions for one year, with minimal access to lawyers and their family members. The courts have postponed their trial for the third time. Those accusing the Badinan prisoners claim they “need more time to find additional evidence against them.” When the prisoners discovered that Sherwan Taha’s mother passed away after requesting a visit with her son but was denied, they began a hunger strike. Some are refusing to eat, and some are refusing to accept even liquids. Their lives are in imminent danger.
