Sulaymaniyah police detain opposition leader Shaswar Abdulwahid on defamation charges

SULAYMANIYAH — Police in Sulaymaniyah arrested Shaswar Abdulwahid, head of the New Generation Movement, late Tuesday at his home in the German Village neighborhood, acting on a court-issued warrant tied to several legal complaints, including defamation.

A court document dated Aug. 3 and seen by 964media states Abdulwahid was sentenced in absentia to six months in prison under Article 431 of Iraq’s Penal Code, which addresses defamation-related offenses.

According to Salah Hassan, spokesperson for the judiciary and deputy head of the Sulaymaniyah court, the case was filed in May 2019 by then-Kurdistan Region lawmaker Shadia Nawzad, who represented the New Generation bloc at the time.

Nawzad had resigned from the party a month earlier, accusing Abdulwahid of running it as a family business, marginalizing its institutions, and leading a group that blackmailed members, including lawmakers, by threatening to release doctored nude videos.

At a press conference outside the Kurdistan Parliament, Nawzad said she received a tampered video and photos by text message just hours before she and other lawmakers planned to issue a critical statement. The message allegedly warned more material would be released unless she backed down. She also alleged hidden cameras had been installed at accommodation provided for party events.

Nawzad later joined the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in 2021.

The case was referred to trial in 2021 and remained under judicial review until this month. Court records show Abdulwahid and his lawyer repeatedly ignored summonses, resulting in arrest warrants for both and the eventual sentencing in absentia.

Sulaymaniyah police spokesperson Sarkawt Ahmed confirmed the arrest occurred late Tuesday. He spoke at a press conference held around midnight. “Abdulwahid has been arrested by a police unit on the basis of a judge’s order,” Ahmed said. “He is accused in several cases, one of which relates to comments about a public figure.”

Shortly after the arrest, NRT, the television network founded by Abdulwahid and serving as the New Generation Movement’s main media outlet, broadcast a pre-recorded video filmed days earlier in Baghdad. In the video, Abdulwahid said he had been warned he would be arrested if he returned to the Kurdistan Region. He accused the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party of trying to silence him and stop his campaign.

“I am confident our friends and MPs in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are better than those in power at fighting corruption, and God and our people are behind us to achieve victory,” he said. Abdulwahid urged the public not to “trust these two parties again” and pledged to continue his political efforts.

The New Generation Movement holds nine seats in Iraq’s 329-member federal parliament and won 15 seats in the 2024 Kurdistan Parliament election. The party has positioned itself as an alternative to the ruling KDP and PUK ahead of Iraq’s Nov. 11 parliamentary vote.

Following the arrest, the New Generation bloc in the Kurdistan Parliament alleged that forces affiliated with the PUK stormed Abdulwahid’s residence without notice. The bloc called the operation illegal and held PUK leaders Bafel and Qubad Talabani responsible for Abdulwahid’s safety. It also urged foreign consulates and international representatives in the Kurdistan Region to “take a stance” and not remain silent.

On Wednesday, the court extended Abdulwahid’s detention to allow time for an appeal. “If neither he nor his lawyers file any appeal against the court’s in absentia ruling, the verdict and sentence will proceed to enforcement,” Hassan said.

He added that Abdulwahid has multiple pending legal cases, mostly from private citizens, and that additional arrest warrants have been issued to consolidate the cases before the judiciary. “All charges will be reviewed, and he is required to present his statement before the judge,” Hassan said. He also confirmed Abdulwahid is being held at a detention and transfer facility operated by Sulaymaniyah police and denied that the arrest was politically motivated.