NEWS CENTER – The situation of Rojnews editor Süleyman Ahmet, who was detained by forces affiliated with the KDP, has not been announced for 123 days.
There has been no news for 108 days from Süleyman Ahmet, the Arabic editor of Rojnews, who was detained by units affiliated with the KDP at the Pêşxabûr (Sêmalka) Border Gate while returning to Southern Kurdistan from the city of Aleppo, where he went to visit his family, on October 25.
Upon receiving information that Ahmet was taken to the city of Duhok, his lawyers applied to the Duhok Public Order Office. Even though it was unofficially accepted that Ahmet was in their hands, he was not allowed to meet with his lawyers. Duhok Public Order, which had to make a statement 6 days later after the reactions, claimed that Ahmet was not in their hands, even though they accused him of "carrying out intelligence activities".
Thereupon, the Duhok Judgeship, to which the application was made, decided that his lawyers could meet with Ahmet. With this decision, it was officially accepted that Ahmet was held in custody. The lawyers, who went to the Duhok Public Order Office with the decision in hand, were not only not allowed to meet with Ahmet, but also faced attacks and threats that amounted to physical violence. Continuing their investigation despite the attacks and threats, the lawyers learned that Ahmet was being held in one of the unofficial detention centres of Parastin, the intelligence agency of the KDP.
OVER 10 APPLICATIONS
Lawyers who are members of the Süleyman Ahmet Defence Group have officially made more than 10 applications. However, they were not allowed to meet with their clients and no information about their situation was shared with them.
CONDEMNED FROM JOURNALISM ORGANIZATIONS
The kidnapping of Süleyman Ahmet was condemned by domestic and international journalism professional organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders. They called for his immediate release.
There is no statement about Süleyman Ahmet from the KDP administration to which professional organizations as well as non-governmental organizations made calls.
APPLICATION TO THE UN
Rojnews officials and editors had applied to the United Nations (UN) in recent weeks, demanding that the public be informed as soon as possible about Ahmet's situation.