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Update at 18.00 hrs GMT: Ahmed Mira has been released from custody following pressure exerted on the authorities by democrats and free press supporters. However, Ahmed is still due to appear in court again on Wednesday and so there is no cause for complacency.
Ahmed Mira, editor in chief of Lvinpress, was jailed in Hawler today after he voluntarily appeared in court. The case concerns a report published in issue 140 of Livinpress about the Minister for Natural Resources, Ashti Hawrami, and allegations of corruption.
Livinpress deputy chief editor, Hemn Baker, told reporters that the court had changed an article in the law on journalism so as to pursue this prosecution.
Ahmed Mira will be held in custody until he appears in court again on Wednesday.
“Anybody who supports freedom of the press in Kurdistan will be very disturbed by this development”, said Mufid Abdulla, editor of The Kurdistan Tribune. “It takes place in the middle of talks supposedly designed to resolve the political crisis. Ahmed Mira should be released immediately”.
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