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Rudaw Net
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iraq suspends Kurdistan IDP camp mergers citing lack of funds
Also in Kurdistan Woman appointed acting governor of Halabja Erbil doctor arrested in connection with murder of 4 family members Badinan journalist held since 2020 to be released next week: Lawyer Erbil stops receiving stray dogs from Bardarash after abuse video A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's migration and displaced ministry said on Saturday that the merger of camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Kurdistan Region has been suspended due to a lack of funds, as Baghdad keeps encouraging displaced families to return to their hometowns. Baghdad has plans to merge several IDP camps in the Kurdistan Region where 'only a small number of families remain,' ministry spokesperson Ali Abbas told Rudaw. 'This process requires money to provide the necessary supplies, and currently, due to the budget schedule not being approved, this work has been suspended,' Abbas said. The Iraqi parliament is yet to approve budget allocations for this year. On Wednesday, Abbas told Rudaw that about 23,000 families remain in camps in the Kurdistan Region's Erbil and Duhok provinces but that returns have slowed down. According to United Nations figures, about 109,000 displaced Iraqis are living in 21 camps in the Kurdistan Region. Compensation promised by Baghdad for people who want to return to their homes has also been paused due to a lack of funds, which has slowed the return process. The Iraqi government last year said it would give four million dinars (about $3,050) to each returning family, one of several measures to encourage people to leave the camps. Other incentives include providing job opportunities in both the public and private sectors, providing monthly social security stipends for low-income and needy individuals, and offering interest-free bank loans. Many of the camps in the Kurdistan Region suffer from a lack of funds, as the humanitarian focus has shifted from emergency response to development and stabilization. Human rights advocates have expressed concern about Iraq's push to close the camps, stressing that all returns must be safe, voluntary, and dignified. Despite the incentives from Baghdad, many families are reluctant to leave the camps because of continued violence in their home areas, a lack of reconstruction following the destruction of their houses, and little in the way of basic services. Some who voluntarily left the camps have been forced to return. Nahro Mohammed contributed to this report.
Rudaw Net
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Badinan journalist held since 2020 to be released next week: Lawyer
Also in Kurdistan Erbil stops receiving stray dogs from Bardarash after abuse video About 23,000 families remain in Kurdistan Region IDP camps: Ministry Earthquake measuring 4.8 felt in Erbil, surrounding areas Horseshoeing craft in Kurdistan Region on the rise A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Sherwan Sherwani, one of the journalists arrested during the 2020 anti-government protests in Duhok, is set to be released next week after serving over four years in prison, according to one of his lawyers. Sherwani was arrested alongside a group of other journalists and activists in October 2020 for his involvement in protests over unpaid wages by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). They were called the Badinan detainees because they came from Badini areas in Duhok province. He and four others were sentenced to six years behind bars in February 2021 on charges of 'endangering national security.' His sentence was reduced by 50 percent in February 2022 by a decree from Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani but he was given four more years in prison by an Erbil court in July 2023 on charges of faking a legal document. The new term was handed just two months before his scheduled release. Another decree from Barzani reduced the sentence to two years. 'My client was supposed to be released on the 9th of this month, but today at 12:00 pm we completed the procedures. When I went to court, the judge had already left, and he has taken leave tomorrow, so his release will be next week,' lawyer Mohammed Abdullah told Rudaw on Wednesday. The trials and prison sentences of the Badinan prisoners drew outcry from diplomats, media watchdogs, and human rights groups who highlighted flaws in the legal system and accused Kurdish authorities of cracking down on dissent - charges the KRG has denied. Amnesty International has slammed the KRG for Sherwani's imprisonment, saying he was detained on 'bogus charges of espionage and sharing information with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).' 'The trial was marred by serious violations of the right to a fair trial, including allegations of torture and other ill-treatment that were not investigated, the reliance on torture-tainted confessions, and a refusal to allow defence lawyers timely access to the case files,' Amnesty lamented. Kurdish authorities have repeatedly faced harsh criticism for their treatment of journalists as well as imposing restrictive measures on the press. A total of 182 violations were committed against journalists and media outlets in 2024, according to figures from Metro Center for Journalists Right and Advocacy, a decline compared to the 231 violations recorded the year before. Solin Hamadamin contributed to this report.
Rudaw Net
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
About 23,000 families remain in Kurdistan Region IDP camps: Ministry
Also in Kurdistan Earthquake measuring 4.8 felt in Erbil, surrounding areas Horseshoeing craft in Kurdistan Region on the rise Bardarash starts sending stray dogs to Erbil after fatal attack KRG, Rwanga Foundation launch environmental pact A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's migration and displaced ministry said on Wednesday that about 23,000 Iraqi families remain in camps in the Kurdistan Region's Erbil and Duhok provinces but that returns have slowed down. 'The number of families remaining in camps in Erbil and Duhok provinces is approximately 23,000, while the IDP camps in Sulaimani province have been closed,' ministry spokesperson Ali Abbas told Rudaw. Abbas said that the ministry supports IDPs who seek to return to their hometowns but that 'the return of IDPs has slowed down … it will increase with the start of the summer break and the end of the current school year.' On Saturday, Abbas told Rudaw that compensation for IDPs who want to return to their homes has been paused due to a lack of funds, which has slowed down the return process. The Iraqi government last year said it would give four million dinars (about $3,050) to each returning family, one of several measures to encourage people to leave the camps. Other incentives include providing job opportunities in both the public and private sectors, providing monthly social security stipends for low-income and needy individuals, and offering interest-free bank loans. In 2024, 'more than 10,000 displaced families, which is more than 100,000 people, have returned to their homes across Iraq,' Abbas told Rudaw in December. Many of the camps in the Kurdistan Region suffer from a lack of funds, as the humanitarian focus has shifted from emergency response to development and stabilization. Human rights advocates have expressed concern about Iraq's push to close the camps, stressing that all returns must be safe, voluntary, and dignified. Despite the incentives from Baghdad, many families are reluctant to leave the camps because of continued violence in their home areas, a lack of reconstruction following the destruction of their houses, and little in the way of basic services. Some who voluntarily left the camps have been forced to return. Mushtaq Ramadhan contributed to this report.
