The Iraqi Ministry of Justice refuses to disclose the report on the death of social media activist Shayan Ali, who passed away in a Baghdad prison, stating only that she "died of natural causes."
This aligns with the widespread silence from human rights organizations, women's rights groups, and the Iraqi government regarding the case, which some consider a "suspicious death."
Shayan, 35, was born in Kirkuk and held a residence card in the United States. On the evening of Wednesday, October 30, 2024, her family was informed of her passing in a Baghdad prison operated by the Iraqi Ministry of Justice.
Shayan was moved to Baghdad prisons to serve her sentence after the Kirkuk court sentenced her on July 17, 2023, to two years in prison on charges of "insulting the judiciary and the courts."
The media director for the Iraqi Ministry of Justice, Murad Mahdi, expressed his discontent with KirkukNow's follow up of Shayan's case, saying, "I don't understand. This case is not new, and Shayan Ali passed away last year. Why do you want to bring up the issue again...?"
Regarding the case of Shayan Ali's death, Mahdi promised to disclose it to KirkukNow, but mentioned, "Wait a week for the women's prison in Baghdad to send the report and respond, then we will answer your questions as well." However, he stated that Shayan "died of natural causes after experiencing a heart attack."
A month has gone by since this promise, but the Iraqi Ministry of Justice has not responded to KirkukNow's inquiries, despite receiving and reading them via WhatsApp messages.
Iraqi Justice Minister Khalid Shwani and two other officials at the ministry did not reply to KirkukNow's calls and messages when informed that KirkukNow was investigating the case.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Health Ministry spokesperson Youssef Badir declined KirkukNow's request to obtain the report from the Forensic Medicine Department in Baghdad, where Shayan's body was examined.
"Only a judge can request forensic medicine," Badir stated even though Iraqi law permits journalists to request any information they need to follow up on, except for sensitive data related to national security.
However, the spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Health insisted that KirkukNow's request to gather information from the forensic medicine department about Shayan's case was illegal.
The suppression of information about the case and the denial of access to information occur at a time when the High Commission for Human Rights in Iraq, despite being informed of the case, has not pursued it because Shayan's family did not file a complaint.
Sarmad Saeed, head of the commission's media and relations department, mentioned, "We only follow up on this type of case in a few instances, either when the person's family files a complaint, when the case is brought by the public prosecutor, or when someone posts a video on social media showing human rights violations. Then we follow up."
Shayan's case has garnered significant attention on social media and raised concerns about the circumstances of her death, with some perceiving the incident as "suspicious."
Sarmad stated, "Now, Shayan's family can also file a complaint with the High Commission for Human Rights."
Before her arrest by the Kirkuk court, Shayan Ali was detained at the Rahima Police Station and transferred to the Detention Prison in Kirkuk, before being tried and moved to Baghdad.
Shayan was sentenced under the Iraqi Penal Code based on complaints from two judges in the Kirkuk court for intentionally attacking another person "through an act that violates the law."
This occurred after she posted videos on her Facebook account on June 20, 2023, where she "insulted the judiciary and the courts" without specifying the name of any judge or court.
Shayan's confrontation with the Kirkuk judges took place while the court was reviewing her divorce case from her husband and custody of her child. During that period, she appeared in videos insulting the judges, and when she showed up in court to follow up on the case, she was arrested by order of the judge.
An activist advocating for women's rights in Kirkuk, who mentioned she visited Shayan in the women's prison in Kirkuk multiple times before she was transferred to Baghdad, said, "I closely followed Shayan's case and did not notice any health or psychological issues. I was surprised when they announced she had passed away in the women's prison in Baghdad."
Shayan's family notably ignored the case, declining to comment on it or file a complaint. Even the deputy director of the Kirkuk branch of the High Commission for Human Rights, Majib Abdullah, said, "No one from Shayan's family came to file a complaint or request that the case be pursued. As for us, we were unable to follow up on the case because it was transferred to Baghdad."
He explained that the public prosecutor did not initiate a case.
Deman Mohammed, head of the Kirkuk branch of the Kurdistan Women's Union, told KirkukNow, "Although our main goal is to defend women and protect them from violence, we did not take any action about Shayan Ali's case because we cannot defend people who are involved in such situations."
Before starting her court case for divorce and child custody, Shayan Ali had expressed her opposition to gender and racial discrimination in her videos. Several clips of her going through checkpoints and arguing with officers sparked reactions on social media.
