A teacher from Sîdekan was sentenced to one and a half years in prison by the Hewlêr (Erbil) Criminal Court because he allegedly gave a guerrilla three packets of biscuits. The court said that Luqman Najm was guilty of "collaborating" with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) through the alleged gesture, the RojNews news agency reported on Sunday. After the verdict was announced, there were protests in the courtroom because family members were outraged at the outcome of the case. Najm's lawyers also protested the ruling and immediately announced an appeal. The court was accused of having made a political decision "in the interests of the rulers".

Luqman Najm, who is also known as an opposition activist, was illegally detained by the security forces of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) for nine months. The father of three came under the KDP's scrutiny during protests against constant salary delays and cuts by education workers in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Najm was temporarily arrested twice for his participation in demonstrations. During his detention, his civil service rights were also revoked at the instigation of the KDP.

It was only a few days ago that Luqman Najm was illegally detained once again by the KDP security. Relatives said that after the charges were brought, they feared that Najm could disappear behind bars for a long time if they protested.

Ultimately, the public prosecutor's office had demanded a prison sentence of up to six years for the teacher. The intimidation apparently worked and the family quietly tried to get Najm released.

This situation has been occurring more and more frequently in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq recently.