29 deputies sent a letter to the Court of Cassation in the Kurdistan Region, after it ratified the prison sentences issued against the Behdinan detainees.

The message stated: We, the undersigned, demand your court to cancel your decision No. 468 on April 28, 2021, regarding the detainees of Dohuk governorate, “Sherawan Amin, Shivan Saeed, Ayaz Akram, Hariwan Issa, and Gohdar Muhammad,” due to several errors in the decision, as follows:

1- The detainees during the investigation phase were not dealt with them according to the law, nor appointing lawyers for them.

2- Their confessions in their files were made under threat.

3- Visiting the US and German consulates in Erbil to obtain support for civilian activities is not considered a crime, while dozens of governmental and non-governmental organizations and institutions visit consulates to obtain support or assistance, and the international coalition continues and continuously supports Kurdistan Peshmerga forces monthly.

4- The presence of the Asayish in the courtroom violates the law. As it took place during the trial of Dohuk detainees.

The Court of Cassation had approved prison sentences for three journalists and two activists, with six years imprisonment on charges of "undermining security", in what is known in the media as the Bhdinan detainees.