Peregraf- After nearly nine months behind bars, journalist Omed Baroshki has been released from Duhok Adults Reformatory. The Duhok Court approved his application for conditional release, issuing the decision earlier today.
Baroshki’s lawyer, Reving Yasin, denied reports claiming the release resulted from the claimant withdrawing the lawsuit. Speaking to Peregraf, Yasin said, “At 3:00 PM this afternoon, Omed Baroshki was released and reunited with his family.”
Baroshki has faced multiple legal challenges over his journalistic work. He previously told Peregraf that nine lawsuits have been filed against him, and he had already served one year and seven months in prison for eight earlier cases.
Regarding today’s release, Yasin explained, “Baroshki was arrested on January 30, 2025, and sentenced to six months. A previous six-month sentence was also reactivated, bringing the total sentence to one year. We requested the court to consider both sentences together, making him eligible for conditional release after completing nine months. This decision is unrelated to any withdrawal of the lawsuit by the claimant.”
The most recent lawsuit stemmed from a Facebook post by Baroshki on January 23, 2024, reporting that Badinan prisoner Mala Nazir had been transferred by security forces and was no longer at the Duhok Adults Reformatory. Baroshki told Peregraf in June 2024, “What I published was true. The Reformatory itself confirmed that Mala Nazir was temporarily moved to another location for a different case.”
Yasin also clarified the reactivated sentence, noting it dated back more than two years. “At that time, Omed Baroshki was a student, so the sentence was not enforced. Later, when he was sentenced in a subsequent case, the old sentence was reactivated.”
Under the conditional release system, convicts are eligible for early release after completing three-quarters of their sentence—meaning a one-year sentence results in release after nine months.