The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged on Wednesday that Kurdish authorities release Iraqi Kurdish journalist Sherwan Sherwani after a court extended his prison sentence, stating, “ Sentencing Sherwani for a third time on dubious charges and imposing the maximum penalty shows the authorities’ determination to silence his critical voice and keep him behind bars.”

Sherwani was sentenced to an additional four years and five months in prison by the Bnaslawa Misdemeanor Court on Tuesday, as the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I) faces ongoing scrutiny over press freedom and the treatment of independent journalists.

His lawyer, Mohammed Abdullah, called the sentence “oppressive” and “predetermined,” noting that it repeats prior rulings. The charge stems from allegations that Sherwani

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