Court postpones trial of New Generation leader Abdulwahid to September

SULAYMANIYAH — A Sulaymaniyah court on Thursday delayed the hearing of New Generation Movement leader Shaswar Abdulwahid to Sept. 2, 2025, the second postponement in his trial. He will remain in detention until then.

Court officials said the session was postponed because the plaintiff, former lawmaker Shadia Nawzad, was not present. Supporters gathered outside the courthouse demanding Abdulwahid’s release.

The case stems from a 2019 lawsuit filed by Nawzad, then a New Generation MP, who accused Abdulwahid of running the party as a family enterprise and blackmailing members with intimate videos. She said she received images just hours before issuing a critical statement against him. Nawzad resigned from the party that year and joined the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

In a statement Thursday, the New Generation bloc said, “Despite the militarization of the court, the deployment of hundreds of security forces, and the confiscation of the mobile phones of several parliamentarians and supporters, today both inside and outside the courthouse our people were present peacefully and in solidarity for the hearing of our leader.”

Abdulwahid, founder of NRT television and head of the New Generation Movement, was arrested Aug. 12 at his home in Sulaymaniyah’s German Village neighborhood under a court-issued warrant. A document dated Aug. 3 showed he had been sentenced in absentia to six months in prison under Article 431 of Iraq’s Penal Code, which covers defamation.

On Aug. 23, party lawmakers raised concerns about his health in detention, saying they were denied visitation. Judiciary spokesperson Salah Hassan said at the time he had no information about any deterioration in his condition.

Abdulwahid appeared in court with Nawzad on Aug. 21 before proceedings were delayed to Aug. 28. With Thursday’s postponement, the trial is now set to resume on Sept. 2.