Authorities deny arrest of Zaid Al-Talaqani amid Najaf raid and legal charges

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, security authorities in Al-Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region (KRI) dismissed reports claiming that activist Zaid Al-Talaqani had been arrested in the governorate.

Sarkot Ahmed, spokesperson for Al-Sulaymaniyah Police Directorate, told Shafaq News, “The news circulating about Al-Talaqani's arrest under a warrant is incorrect.”

In a related statement, a source from the KRI’s Asayish security forces also confirmed to Shafaq News, “No one named Zaid Al-Talaqani has been detained.”

“No information has surfaced concerning the alleged arrest.”

On Monday, a special operations unit (SWAT) raided the Rafidain Center for Dialogue (RCD) in Najaf to arrest its chairman, Zaid Al-Talaqani, confiscating weapons and removing security personnel, but Al-Talaqani was not present during the operation.

Earlier, the Najaf Investigation Court issued an arrest warrant for Al-Talaqani, following a complaint from Ghaith Abu Shubaa, deputy head of the Najaf Provincial Council, alleging that he threatened him after expelling him from the party following his victory in the recent provincial council elections.

The warrant charges Al-Talaqani under Article 430 of the amended Iraqi Penal Code No. 111 of 1969, stipulating that “anyone who threatens another person with committing a felony against themselves, their property, or the property of others, or with defamation, with the intent to coerce them into doing or refraining from doing something, can be punished with up to seven years in prison or a lesser sentence.” The same penalties apply if the threat is anonymous or attributed to a supposed secret group.