Top Iraqi court rejects legal challenge against three laws

Iraq’s top court on February 11th threw out a legal challenge that had temporarily blocked three controversial laws passed in January by the Iraqi parliament, The New Arab via the Associated Press reported.

The lawmakers involved in the lawsuit argued that the voting process was illegal because the bills were voted on together rather than separately.

The measures, each supported by various blocs, include an alteration to Iraq’s personal status law, giving Islamic courts more control over family affairs, including marriage, divorce and inheritance — a move that critics claim would deteriorate women’s rights in the country.

Additionally, the measures include a general amnesty law, which opponents argue could result in the release of individuals involved in public corruption and embezzlement as well militants who have carried out war crimes. The third bill seeks to return land taken from the Kurds during Saddam Hussein’s rule, which raises concerns that it could lead to the displacement of Arab residents.

Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court agreed on February 11th to cancel its previous court order that stopped the three laws from being implemented after some lawmakers filed a lawsuit to block them.

Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, in a statement, commended the passage of the amnesty law.

“As we promised the mothers of the innocent after we received the cries of those in prisons, we worked within Parliament to obtain political consensus to pass the general amnesty law,” he said.

“And thank God we succeeded where others failed and achieved the desired goal by voting on it and then implementing it,” the Speaker added.

The New Arab via the Associated Press