LONDON: An Iraqi Kurdistan court sentenced Syrian journalist Sulaiman Ahmed to three years in prison on espionage charges on Monday.

Ahmed was accused of involvement in “secret and illegal activities for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK),” a Kurdish rebel group designated as a terrorist organization by the US, EU, and Turkiye.

According to his lawyer, Luqman Ahmed, who is not related to the journalist, the case was politically motivated, describing the decision as “merely a means to retaliate against the journalist.”

He criticized the legal process as “very unfair,” stating that the court had no evidence for the conviction and that Ahmed was sentenced solely due to alleged membership in the Democratic Unity Party, the PKK’s Syrian branch.

He added that the lawyers were only allowed to attend the trial after pressure from the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq and foreign consulates.

Ahmed denied all charges and plans to file an appeal, his lawyer confirmed.

Ahmed, who works for the PKK-affiliated media outlet Roj News, was arrested in October after re-entering Kurdistan following a family visit to Syria.

The Security Directorate in Duhok Governorate, responsible for border security, accused him of conducting “secret and illegal” work for the PKK.

The case has drawn international criticism, with the Committee to Protect Journalists calling on Kurdistan Region authorities to “immediately and unconditionally” release Ahmed and drop all charges against him.