Najaf court hands Shams Party head 4th jail term as legal cases mount

Shafaq News – Najaf

Najaf Criminal Court issued a new one-year prison sentence against Zaid al-Talaqani, head of the Shams Party and director of the Al-Rafidain Center for Dialogue, a judicial source said on Wednesday.

This marks the fourth conviction against al-Talaqani. In September 2024, the court sentenced him to one year of simple imprisonment — his third ruling at the time. The first judgment was issued on September 1, 2024, also sentencing him to one year. A second verdict followed on September 5, when a Najaf misdemeanors court handed him another one-year sentence after a complaint filed by activist Hadeel Dhahi.

On August 19 last year, a SWAT unit raided the Al-Rafidain Center for Dialogue in Najaf to arrest al-Talaqani, seizing weapons and removing guards from the premises. He was not present during the operation.

The Najaf Investigative Court later issued a warrant under Article 430 of the Penal Code, based on a complaint by the deputy head of the provincial council, Ghaith Abu Shab’a, who accused al-Talaqani of issuing threats.

Article 430 covers criminal penalties related to threats and intimidation, including those issued by clandestine groups.