Latest news with #Article140
Shafaq News
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Sulaimani Forum 2025: President Barzani calls for peace talks, article 140 action
Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani urged Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to activate Article 140 of the constitution on disputed territories and voiced support for renewed peace efforts between Turkiye and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Speaking at the Suiaimani Forum held at the American University of Iraq, Barzani praised al-Sudani's efforts to resolve longstanding issues between the Regional Government (KRG) and Baghdad. He urged swift implementation of the Property Restitution Law and reactivation of the committee tasked with implementing Article 140. 'In the Kurdistan Region, we remain committed to the Iraqi constitution as the framework for managing our relationship with Baghdad,' Barzani said. 'The principles of federalism, pluralism, and partnership are key to ensuring equal rights for all Iraqis.' He lauded al-Sudani's role in facilitating the recent recognition of Halabja as Iraq's 19th province, describing it as a significant step forward. 'Prime Minister al-Sudani's vision to expand common ground and reduce differences is the right path forward,' Barzani said. Turning to regional issues, Barzani voiced strong support for Turkiye's renewed efforts to engage in peace talks with the PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. 'This is a historic opportunity to establish peace and stability,' he said. 'We welcome this process and are committed to supporting its success.' Barzani also stressed the need to activate the Kurdistan Parliament and urged the Region's leading political parties to expedite the formation of a new government in Erbil that can meet public expectations and respond effectively to current challenges. Addressing broader global concerns, Barzani pointed to shared threats such as climate change, water scarcity, and forced displacement, saying these issues require coordinated international action. 'Thousands in Iraq have been displaced due to water shortages,' he said. 'We believe in joint cooperation to address these challenges, and the international community must bear its shared responsibility.'
Shafaq News
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
2025 election: Iraq begins voter registration update
Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) launched a nationwide voter registration update ahead of the October 2025 parliamentary elections. The one-month process, running through April 25, covers new registrations, biometric updates, deletions, corrections, and changes for displaced persons and security personnel. In Basra, the provincial elections office reported moderate first-day turnout. '32% of voters in the province have yet to update their records,' media director Udayd Abdul Baqi told Shafaq News, urging 2007-born citizens—now eligible to vote—to obtain their biometric voter cards. Separately, Nabrad Omar, head of the Elections Commission in the Kurdistan Region, called on residents of Erbil, Duhok, and al-Sulaymaniyah to visit one of 173 registration centers to obtain or renew their electronic voter cards, noting that voter transfers in areas covered by Article 140 remain restricted, with exceptions for married women and children of eligible voters. Earlier, IHEC spokesperson Jumana Al-Ghalai confirmed the update was approved by the Board of Commissioners to ensure data accuracy and support broad electoral participation across all 18 provinces.
Rudaw Net
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Over 3,000 Kirkuk land seizure cases submitted for compensation
Also in Iraq Iraqi security forces ramp up efforts to combat drug trafficking, ISIS remnants Iraqi PM approves Kurdish farmers' demands in Sargaran: Farmers spox Kurdish military judge warns against 'desertion' of Yazidi Peshmerga fighters Iran cuts Diyala province electricity: Local official A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdish official in Kirkuk said on Monday that they have submitted over 3,000 cases of land seizures to the Iraqi justice ministry for compensation, marking the first step in the recently passed property restitution law that seeks to return lands to their original owners. 'Over 3,000 cases have been submitted [to the Iraqi justice ministry], including individuals who were forcibly displaced or had their lands seized,' Kakarash Siddiq, head of the Kirkuk office of the Article 140 implementation committee, told Rudaw. The Iraqi presidency in mid-February ratified the land restitution law aimed at returning lands confiscated under the Baath regime to their original owners. The law pertains to 300,000 dunams of land belonging to Kurdish and Turkmen owners in Kirkuk and other disputed areas. These lands were previously given to Arab settlers, a tactic believed to have been part of the Baathist regime's efforts to alter the demographic makeup of disputed regions. One such decree, issued in 1977, revoked land ownership rights in 14 locations, including areas within Dibis district in Kirkuk. Some of the disputed lands include those in Shanagha village northwest of Kirkuk, which became a source of conflict between Kurdish farmers and the Iraqi army in February. Following the fall of the Baath regime in 2003, Iraq adopted a policy of de-Arabization under Article 140 of the constitution, aiming to reverse the demographic changes imposed by former dictator Saddam Hussein. 'Guidelines [to execute the restitution] will be enacted in the next two or three months', Sabah Habib, a Kurdish MP from Kirkuk in the Iraqi parliament, told Rudaw on Monday. The law, however, does not apply to individuals who, during the Ba'ath regime, received financial compensation in exchange for their confiscated properties. 'Only lands that were previously designated for restitution but never returned to their original owners would be reinstated,' Siddiq explained. The restitution process is expected to impact around 300,000 dunams of land belonging to Kurdish and Turkmen residents in Kirkuk.
Shafaq News
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
PM Al-Sudani moves to enforce Property Restitution Law
Shafaq News/ Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, directed the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers to take the necessary steps to implement the Property Restitution Law, Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Shakhawan Abdullah, revealed on Sunday. Abdullah said in a statement, 'Al-Sudani signed the recommendations of the special committee tasked with resolving the issue of Kurdish farmers in the Sirkiran subdistrict of Kirkuk. We had submitted a request to the Prime Minister on February 17 regarding farmers' issues and the implementation of the law to annul the decisions of the dissolved Ba'ath Party.' On February 17, several Kurdish farmers in Kirkuk tried to cultivate lands returned to them by a court order, but an army unit blocked their efforts. Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha had previously announced that there are about 14 judicial decisions concerning agricultural lands totaling about 1,500 dunams, while no issues exist with approximately 18,000 dunams owned by Kurdish farmers. The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court reaffirmed in 2019 the continued applicability of Article 140, which aims to undo the demographic changes imposed by Saddam Hussein's regime in disputed areas and to hold a census and referendum on whether these territories should join the Kurdistan Region. Although the article was supposed to be fully implemented by 2007, its implementation was delayed due to security and political challenges. The court ruled that the provisions of Article 140 remain in effect until they are fully carried out.
