Omed Haji Fatah Baroshki, a journalist and civil society activist from the Bahdinan region of Iraqi Kurdistan, is the founder of Rast Media. Baroshki has been repeatedly targeted by the KDP‑affiliated Asayish following his political criticism. The Duhok Misdemeanor Court sentenced him on 30 January 2025 to six months imprisonment under Article 2 of the regional Law on the Prevention of Misuse of Telecommunications Equipment, based on a social‑media post calling for the release of prisoners of conscience. His lawyer has filed an appeal. GCHR confirms that Baroshki had previously endured a total of two years and six months imprisonment plus a fine of 240 000 Iraqi dinars following charges of misuse of telecommunications and defamation, after arrest during protests in August 2020 and release in February 2022. In August 2024 he was detained during the annual commemoration for journalist Wedat Hussein Ali but released hours later, and in February 2024 he was arrested again in a raid on his home and held for three days without official explanation.