03-06-2025
KRG's Amnesty Law draft held up by political deadlock
Shafaq News/ The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has finalized a draft of the General Amnesty Law, but its passage remains on hold until the new session of the Kurdistan Parliament convenes, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Kwestan Maarouf said on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters, Maarouf explained that the previous KRG cabinet had prepared the bill and that ten members of the former Parliament had also submitted a related legislative proposal. However, political disagreements and the dissolution of the previous Parliament stalled the process. 'Despite holding an initial meeting with relevant government bodies, the Parliament failed to convene for a vote in its final year, and was later dissolved,' she said.
Maarouf noted that the new Parliament can combine both the cabinet's draft and the MPs' proposal into a single, unified Amnesty Law.
About the Law
Kurdistan Region's Amnesty Law, enacted in December 2017 under Law No. 4, allowed for pardons for prisoners and detainees under specific conditions, including reconciliation between involved parties or partial sentence completion.
The law excluded serious offenses such as terrorism-related crimes, threats to regional security, corruption, premeditated murder, incest, sexual assault, human trafficking, antiquities smuggling, currency counterfeiting, and kidnapping resulting in death, permanent disability, or disappearance.
