LAVE KURDE

News Center- Kurdistan Justice Group (KJG) MP Rupak Ahmad, told us that hundreds of women facing false accusations are unlawfully held in detention centers and prisons in the cities of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah. “The families of these women remain silent against their detention and arrest because they are afraid of something to happen to them in detention centers and prisons. The families are sometimes not allowed to visit their relatives. Women and their families face serious rights violations,” she said.

“Women face arbitrary detention period”

Stating that international conventions are being violated in Iraq, Rupak Ahmad said, “The investigations launched against jailed women are very superficial. They face arbitrary detention periods. We visited women in jail and saw how her condition is bad.”

Recalling that the detention period is 15 days and that the detention period cannot exceed six months unless there is concrete evidence, Rupak Ahmad said, “There are many women waiting for being transferred to the court in detention centers. They face unlawful charges.”

Women face five-six year prison sentences for their social media posts

Underlining that many arrested women face a prison sentence for their posts and comments on their social media accounts, Rupak Ahmad said, “Some women are held in prison for expressing their thoughts. There are women being held in prison for commenting on some posts or liking some posts on social media platforms. A woman, who got married a short time ago, faced six years prison sentence for her comment on social media. She was released after doctors launched a campaign for her.”

Speaking about the prison condition of arrested women, Rupak Ahmad said, “Some prisoners suffer from serious health problems such as cancer, tuberculosis. They live in unhealthy conditions. Although some prisoners suffer from serious health problems, their health conditions are hidden. Traditions and sexism affect women even in detention centers and prisons.”

Speaking about the silence of jailed women’s families, Rupal Ahmad said, “Their families remain silent because they are afraid of something to happen to them in detention centers and prisons. Some jailed women haven’t seen their children for years.”

70 children live with their mothers in prison

Emphasizing that many children live in unhealthy conditions with their mothers in prisons, Rupak Ahmad said, “70 children live with their mothers in the prisons of Sulaymaniyah. These children are deprived of their rights and forced to live in prisons.”

“Some women are not allowed to see their lawyers”

Speaking about the rights of jailed women, Rupak Ahmad said, “Some women are not allowed to see their lawyers, to call their relatives. The current unlawful practices in prisons should end and legal norms should be implemented in prisons.”