Erbil court reduces the sentences of Badinan detainees

Shafaq News / Erbil's court of appeal reduced the sentences of two of the Badinan detainees.

Bashdar Abdulrahman, a lawyer in the case, said in a press conference today that the defense team had submitted a request to reduce the sentences of Shirwan Taha (sentenced to two years and six months in prison) and Masoud Shankali (sentenced to three years and six months in prison).

According to Abdulrahman, the court reduced the defendants' sentence to two years in prison, at a time when the defense team was expecting a release order to be issued. 

The lawyer added that the defendants have been in prison for a year and seven months now, pointing out that a conditional release request will be submitted to the court.

He said it is most likely that the defendants will be released soon. 

The Iraqi judiciary had sentenced five people, including two journalists, to six years in prison, in February 2020, after convicting them of trying to overthrow the government and undermining security.

The convicts are journalists Sherwan Sherwani and Kohdar Zebari, and activists Shavan Saeed, Ayaz Karam, and Hariwan Issa.

They were convicted against the backdrop of bloody protests that took place in al-Sulaymaniyah late last year, as angry demonstrators attacked government and political parties' headquarters, set them on fire, and assaulted their staff.